How to pasteurize lacto-fermented hot sauce?
So, I've got a 2-3dl batch of lacto-fermented hot sauce in the works. Approximately half the vegetables in the ferment are large brown habaneros and the other half is sweet pepper, ginger and some slices of carrot to get the ferment going. So, I expect the sauce to last me quite some time.
Therefore, I'm planning on pasteurizing the sauce to extend its shelf-life. My main goal in the pasteurization is to stop the fermentation already going on. For equipment, I have a thermometer from the brewing supplies aisle, various different sizes of pots and pans, some of which can be nested for a double boiler, and an electric stove. Is there a reasonable process to pasteurize a batch of fermented hot sauce with these?
Best Answer
According to the US FDA, normal pastuerization for fruit juice would be 160F for 6 seconds. This should be easily accomplished in a hot water bath; just heat up the water to 160f, and dip the bottles.
However, a fermented sauce made with chopped peppers has poor circulation compared to fruit juice, and you are heating bottles rather than passing the liquid through a narrow, heated pipe. So more time would be required for the heat to penetrate, possibly as much as 5 minutes. I can't find specific guidance for something like a chopped pepper sauce.
This would pastuerize the hot sauce, but not make it shelf-stable.
The criteria to bottle it, as mentioned in the comments, is how acidic the sauce is after fermentation, so you should add some form of Ph tester to your list of equipment. If the acidity is 4.6 or below, then a slightly hotter hot water bath (say, 180F) for a few minutes you could not only pastuerize it, but make it shelf-stable.
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Quick Answer about "How to pasteurize lacto-fermented hot sauce?"
Pasteurization to make it shelf stable is simple. Just heat the mixture stirring constantly at 180F for 10 minutes, then immediately bottle in sterilized containers.Can you pasteurize fermented hot sauce?
If you don't want to add vinegar (maybe you don't want your fermented hot sauce to be too acidic), another option is to pasteurize the sauce before bottling it. This involves raising the temperature to kill off the yeast and stop the fermentation process.How do you preserve fermented hot sauce?
A fermented hot sauce must be stored in the fridge, or else have vinegar or citric acid cooked into it in order to make it shelf stable. Karla keeps some of her blends fresh in the fridge, with no additives, and to others adds vinegar at a rate of 1/4 cup per quart for longer-term storage.Should you boil fermented hot sauce?
Fermented hot sauce is rich in probiotic bacteria and has awesome enzymes for improved digestion. No cooking required. The spicier the pepper you use, the harder it is to cook in a kitchen. We learned long ago that Carolina Reaper sauces should rarely be cooked in the home.How long does pasteurized hot sauce last?
You need to get the temperature right for a moment and then put the sauce in glass jars to cool. (Like good old jam containers) Pasteurized sauces would have a shelf life of about three months if refrigerated.Processing and Bottling Hot Sauce
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Answer 2
Pasteurization to make it shelf stable is simple. Just heat the mixture stirring constantly at 180F for 10 minutes, then immediately bottle in sterilized containers. This stops the fermentation and minimizes any chance that your sauce could ever make anyone sick, assuming you fermented it long enough to get down to something like 4.0 acidity on your ph tester. You can always add some vinegar before pasteurization and re test to get it to a safe level.
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