Acidify Necessary For Success Mien Canning Home-Grown
VARK, Del. - Even though other fruits, it is naturally high in safer, provided the tomato product Snider. And this is where the great
folks consider the tomato a acid. So, like them, it is usually you’re canning contains enough tomato preservation safety debate
tble because of the way it’s processed in a boiling water bath. acid, says University of Delaware begins.
-ed, it is really a fruit. Like Nothing could be simpler, or extension food specialist Dr. Sue Which canning recommendation
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....
Tomatoes
is really safe? Are so-called low
acid tomato varieties really low
acid, thus requiring different
treatment? Must yellow tomatoes
be preserved differently than red
ones? Can ChstrUhm boMmum,
which produces deadly botulism
toxin, really grow in home canned
tomatoes?
As home food preservers thumb
through their cookbooks over the
next few weeks, they will find
many different recommendations
for processing tomatoes and
tomato products. Some directions
call for processing m a boiling
water bath, others for pressure
processing at 5,10 or 15 pounds of
pressure. Some sources may even
mention low-acid versus high-acid
tomatoes and recommend dif
ferent treatments depending on the
variety being used.
Snider has some information
which may take the confusion out
of preserving tomatoes. Here are
her answers to key questions about
this popular fruit and how to
process it safely.
• Are some tomato varieties
really low-acid?
“No! Even though seed com
panies may describe some
toamtoes as low-acid, research has
shown that these newer varieties
don’t differ much in acidity from
the old standbys,” the food
specialist says. “Actually, the
amount of acid in firm, ripe
tomatoes has not decreased
substantially over the past 25
years. Most tomatoes described as
low-acid simply contain more
sugar. This hides the tartness,
giving the impression of mild
ness.”
“And yellow tomatoes are no
different from red ones in respect
to acid content,” says Snider. “So
they should be processed in the
same way.”
• Why all the fuss about acid?
Level of acidity or pH is the key
in determining which processing
method is safe for canning any
food, Snider explains. C. botulhmm
spores are inhibited at high acid
levels (below 4.6 pH), so foods with
adequate acid can be safely
processed 212°F in a boiling water
bath. However, low-acid foods,
those with a pH of 4.6 or higher,
must be processed in a pressure
canner at 10 pounds of pressure,
240°F, to make sure C. botulinum
spores are destroyed.
• What affects the acidity of a
tomato?
Location and growing con
ditions, maturity of the fruit and its
overall condition determine
acidity. According to the food
specialist, as a tomato ripens or
matures, it becomes less and less
acid. Therefore, an overripe
tomato is less acidic than it was at
its prune; and a ripe tomato has
less acid than it did when it was
green.
“Tomatoes harvested from dead
vines have less acid than
those from healthy, living vines,”
Snider says. “This is true even if
the tomatoes look ripe. Those with
soft or moldy spots are a real
hazard. They may contain much
less acid than a ripe tomato. Never
use tomatoes with soft or decaying
areas for canning; cutting out
these places does not work! Never
can tomatoes picked from dead
vines, and always use the hot-pack
method.”
When cannmg tomatoes to which
other vegetables have been added,
the specialist says to always use a
pressure canner. Water bath
processing is considered safe only
when firm, ripe, red, perfect
tomatoes are used alone.
Snider urges anyone with
questions about safe food
preservation procedures to contact
their county extension home