On Mon, 2 Mar 2009 17:27 william wrote:

>Keith Thomas wrote:
>> On Sun, 1 Mar 2009 william wrote:
>>
>>> Keith, your recipe is OK for those who don't need good
>>> digestion/nutrition, or for those who hate enzymes and all 
>>> their works. "Chuck into the oven at 60-80 degrees Celsius" 
>>> destroys all of them.
>>
>> Which enzymes do you value most, William?
>>
> IIRC there are supposed to be about 5,000. Those found in raw 
> food are specific to that food.
>
>> At what temperature are they destroyed or does damage to them begin?
>>
> They are destroyed at temperatures from 104F to 120F
> Our bodies make progressively fewer enzymes beginning at about 
> age 26. This is part of the process that creates A.G.E.s, explained 
> in Gary Taubes' book.
>
Thanks for your advice, William, and also for the links.
I'm in the process today of making my first jerky and 
pemmican at low temperatures since we had the above
exchange. I have a thermometer in the oven and am 
keeping the temperature below 50ºC. Two months ago
I took a thermometer out into the sun and measured
the temperature at 58ºC at the hottest part of the day
so I reckon the Amerindians might have dried their
meat at up to that temperature.

This will also be my first lamb pemmican. I am drying 
meat from two legs of lamb and drying it one leg at a time 
over 24 hours. When I have completed the pemmican
I'll update my website. This is fun!

Keith