Microbes On A Seventeenth-Century Salted Beef Replica And Their Effects On Health
Author(s): Erika Davila; Elizabeth Latham; Grace Tsai; Robin Anderson
Year: 2018
Summary
Seventeenth-century cookbooks, sailors’ records, and data from archaeological faunal remains were used to replicate salted beef for the Ship Biscuit & Salted Beef Research Project. Samples of salted beef and brine were taken out regularly and tested for microbes at the USDA Agricultural Research Service laboratory in College Station, Texas. Our team, using selective plating techniques, isolated the microbes for downstream DNA sequencing of the 16s rRNA gene. This paper presents the taxonomic identification, corresponding toxins, and quantities from the salted beef and its brine. This data was then used to extrapolate the pathogenic and probiotic effects the microbes on the salted beef had on seventeenth-century sailor health.
Cite this Record
Microbes On A Seventeenth-Century Salted Beef Replica And Their Effects On Health. Erika Davila, Elizabeth Latham, Grace Tsai, Robin Anderson. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441477)
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Keywords
General
Health
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Microbes
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Salted Beef
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Temporal Keywords
Seventeenth-Century
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 628