L2 P2: PICKLING, SUGAR CONCENTRATION, DRYING AND DEHYDRATION

Pickling

Preserving food in acid or salt solution with or without bacteria to get a sour flavor

By converting sugar through a chemical reaction

How do you achieve a sour taste in pickling?

Fermentation

This is required to get a sour taste in pickling

Lactic acid fermentation

Pickling may or may not involve this

Vinegar : water = 1 : 1

Vinegar brine calculation

10% brine = 10g of salt per 100g brine

Salt brine calculation

Brine, not vinegar

If a pickle will be fermented, it must be soaked in..

1. Sour pickles

2. Dill pickles

3. Sweet pickles

3 types of pickles

Sour pickles

Veggies soaked in salt solutionbrine

Dill pickles 1

Veggies soaked in vinegar solution + dill seeds or oil

Dill pickles 2

Has an herby flavor

Sweet pickles

Soaked in salt or vinegar solution + sugar and spices

Sugar concentration

Sugar in high concentration preserves food through osmosis

Because water is attracted to the sugar syrup and taken from the microorganisms

Why does sugar preserve food

60% sugar concentration

Sugar concentration calculation

Water activity (aw)

amt of available water for microorganisms to use

Lower water activity

Less favorable conditions for microbe growth

1. Refractometer

2. Thermometer

3. pH meter

3 common tools for sugar concentration

Refractometer

Measures sugar concentration or Total Soluble Solid in a solution

Total Soluble Solid

TSS stands for?

50-65% TSS

How much TSS do jams, jellies, and marmalades have

Thermometer

Measures food temp to see if cooked

Digital or clip on

2 types of thermometer

pH meter

Measures basicity or acidity of a solution

Because helps in adjusting sugar-acid-pectin concentration

Why is measuring basicity or acidity important?

Pen type or table type

2 types of pH meter

Drying and dehydration

Removal of moisture content from food to prevent bacteria, yeast, and mold

Drying

Reoves moisture wthout equipment

Dehydration

Controlled removal of moisture using equipment

1. Food dehydrator

2. oven

3. mechanical dryer

4. cabinet dryer/dehydrator

4 equipment used in dehydration

Cabinet dryer 1

Uses electricity to distribute heated air into the chambers

Cabinet dryer 2

More expensive than solar dryer, but can control drying rate

Sun drying 1

Uses heat from the sun to increase evaporation

Sun drying 2

Uses solar drier or just laid out under the sun

Solar drier

Has a transparent material that covers the structure to protect from contamination and weather changes