People tend to procure products for the future. Life itself teaches this. One option for long-term storage of products is canning with sugar.
Ways of harvesting food
In order to be able to eat vegetables, fruits, berries and mushrooms all year round, it is necessary to make reserves. Indeed, in the conditions of our climate zone, harvesting is possible only once a year. The rest of the time, people eat what they were able to preserve. Depending on the type of product, this is done in different ways, among which are:
- pickling;
- drying;
- salting;
- urination;
- fermentation;
- freezing;
- processing at high temperature;
- canning with sugar.
The latter option is most applicable to berries and fruits. Aromatic jams, jams, marmalades, various candied fruits and jams are prepared from them. Here, every housewife adheres to their tastes and desires. Finished products are packed in specially prepared containers and sent for storage. It is worth noting that some of them can remain completely edible and edible for years. This is one of the features of this unique method.
Conservation mechanism
To understand why canning with sugar is necessary, you need to figure out what causes it to resort to this method. Scientists have noticed that most of the products of plant origin are 85-90% water, and this, as you know, is an excellent environment for the development of a variety of bacteria and other microorganisms. Products during their development in every way prevent the penetration of these harmful creatures. This task is primarily performed by the skin, which tightly covers the delicate inner layers, protecting them from extraneous exposure. When harvesting, this thin barrier is damaged, the fruits are almost unprotected. The harmful microflora freely penetrates and begins to systematically corrode the product layer by layer. To prevent this, it is necessary to “bind” the moisture inside the product. To do this, it is impregnated with a concentrated sugar solution. This is canning with sugar. Bacteria are not known to eat sugar. Due to lack of food, they do not develop at all, which means they can not spoil anything.
Essential Preservatives
The canning technology provides for the use of additional substances in the procurement process, which by their action should protect the finished product from spoilage and thereby extend its shelf life. They are called preservatives. The name of the substance speaks for itself. These special additives used in canning can have two different types of action on the product:
1. Bactericidal . As a result, preservatives destroy harmful microorganisms.
2. Bacteriostatic . It allows for some time to slow down or stop the rapid process of reproduction of dangerous microflora.
There is a special international codification system in which these compounds are assigned the “E” index. Any additives used in canning are of natural origin and created synthetically. Of the natural compounds most commonly used:
- acids (acetic, sorbic, sulphurous, benzoic);
- salts (derivatives of organic acids, as well as salt and others);
- ethanol;
- various gases (carbon dioxide, sulphurous).
All preservatives used in the food industry have a certain kind of requirements regarding their effect on the human body.
Sugar is the perfect preservative
The most effective way to protect fruits and berries both at home and on an industrial scale is canning with sugar. It can be produced in two ways:
- cold (fruits wiped with sugar);
- hot (cooking in the presence of sugar).
The second option is usually used in combination with other methods (sterilization, cooking and pasteurization), which, in turn, kill not only harmful microorganisms, but also the aromatic properties of the product, as well as its vitamin composition. Everyone knows that jam with a high sugar content will last longer, but requires a longer cooking and therefore leaves behind less beneficial substances in the original product. During the process, heating is carried out to a temperature of 100 degrees, which leads to the killing of living cells, which subsequently absorb sugar more easily, which allows you to save not only the product itself, but also its shape and appearance. The concentration of natural preservative in such products usually reaches 65 percent.
Integrated Canning
The increased sugar content reduces the ability of oxygen to dissolve in water, which means that microorganisms (aerobic) will not be able to grow and develop under such conditions. It is such an action that helps to preserve the product for a long time. In the food industry, several substances are often used in combination to prevent spoilage and rotting. So, canning with sugar and other preservatives is used simultaneously. Here, additional storage components may include:
- salt;
- acid;
- preservatives of category "E";
- additional methods of processing the product (thickening, drying).
In this case, the effect of double exposure takes place. This gives an additional guarantee and confidence in the safety of the prepared product. Microorganisms, in addition to blockade with a concentrated sugar solution, feel additional actions that minimize all negative processes.
Preservative-free workpieces
In some cases, canning is used without salt and sugar. This option is applicable for a wide variety of products: berries, vegetables, mushrooms and fruits. This method is much simpler than the others and, by the way, takes much less time. Without components such as sugar and salt, products can be prepared by:
- freezing
- drying;
- making mashed potatoes using modified products (sorbitol);
- thorough processing (sterilization or pasteurization).
In the first two cases, storage is possible due to the fact that there is no environment in which the existence of microorganisms that cause spoilage is possible. Other options include the destruction of harmful microflora (bacteria, fungi) by additional exposure. Moreover, organic compounds in the form of glucite (sorbitol) are no less effective than prolonged heat treatment. In addition, they relate to dietary products and can be used in food by people with diabetes.