Sterilization and pasteurization are the main ways of storing food products without significant changes in taste. Sterilization of canned goods in a glass container followed by immediate sealing with tin lids is very convenient at home. It provides the necessary tightness and vacuum in a corked jar and makes it possible to preserve the canned product and its natural color for a long time.
Sterilization and pasteurization of canned goods is usually carried out at home, preferably at the temperature of boiling water. A thermometer is used to determine it.
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Fruit compotes and vegetable marinades can be sterilized in 85-degree water. In this case, they should be sterilized twice or even three times longer than when the water would be 100 degrees.
Sometimes (for example, when sterilizing green peas) it is necessary that the water boils at a temperature slightly higher than 100 degrees. For this, table salt is added to the water, using the plate.
| Boiling point (in degrees °C) | Boiling point (in degrees °F) | The required amount of salt per 1 liter of water (in grams) |
| 101 | 214 | 66 |
| 102 | 216 | 126 |
| 103 | 217 | 172 |
| 104 | 219 | 215 |
| 105 | 221 | 255 |
| 107 | 225 | 355 |
| 110 | 230 | 478 |
Sterilization is performed in a special sterilizer or pot or bucket. Wooden or metal grids are placed on the bottom of the dishes in advance to avoid cracking of cans or cylinders due to sudden temperature fluctuations. You should not put rags or paper on the bottom of the sterilizer, as this makes it difficult to observe the beginning of boiling water and leads to marriage due to insufficient heating of the product.
Nutritional hygiene: Sterilization process
Pour enough water into a pan or bucket so that it covers the shoulders of the cans, that is, it is 1.5 – 2 cm lower than the top of the neck of the container. Its temperature before stacking should be no lower than 30 and no higher than 70 degrees (in general, the temperature of the water in the sterilizer depends on the temperature of the canned goods: the higher the second, the higher the first should be).
The pot with the cans placed in it is put on the fire, covered with a lid and the water is brought to a boil, which should be negligible. Sterilization time is counted from the moment when the water boiled.
The fire at the first stage of sterilization, that is, until the water and the contents of the cans are heated, should be intense, because this reduces the duration of heat treatment of the product, and therefore increases its quality. If the speed of the first stage is neglected, the canned goods will be digested and will have an unattractive appearance. Therefore, heating water to boiling should last for 15 minutes when sterilizing half-liter and one-liter cans, and no more than 20 minutes when sterilizing three-liter cylinders.
Second stage
At the second stage, that is, during the sterilization itself, the fire should be weak – just to keep the water boiling. The duration of this stage depends on the acidity and condition of the product. Yes, liquid products are sterilized for 10–15 minutes, and thick products for 2 or even more hours. It also takes less time to sterilize acidic products than to sterilize non-acidic ones. The secret is simple: an acidic environment is unfavorable for the development of bacteria. It also depends on the volume of the container. The larger it is, the longer it takes to sterilize.
The beginning and end of sterilization must be recorded on a separate sheet of paper.
After the end of sterilization, the cans are carefully removed from the pot, immediately corked with a key and the tightness of the capping is checked (it is well rolled so that the neck of the can does not turn around). Now on sale, there are special tongs for getting hot cans from the sterilizer. Very convenient thing. Corked cans or cylinders are placed neck down on a dry towel or paper for air cooling. At the same time, there should be a certain distance between them.
Steam sterilization
It is carried out in the following way. A little water is poured into the sterilizer (so that it covers the wooden or metal grates), the jars are placed, and the water is brought to a boil. The steam created when the water boils heat the cans and their contents. So that the steam does not evaporate, the sterilizer is tightly closed with a lid.
The time required to bring the water to a boil is 10–12 minutes. The time of sterilization of cans with steam is twice as long as when they are sterilized in boiled water.
Nutritional hygiene: Pasteurization
As mentioned, some canned goods (for example, marinades and compotes) are sterilized at a temperature of 85–90 degrees, that is, without bringing the water to a boil. This method of heat treatment of products is called pasteurization.
Cherries, certain varieties of apples, unripe apricots, and other fruits with high acidity are usually pasteurized. It is this acidity that guarantees the storage of pasteurized canned goods, bacteria do not develop in an acidic environment.
Fresh, sorted and well-washed fruits and berries are used for pasteurization. Before stacking, their containers are also carefully washed and boiled. During pasteurization, the temperature of the water is monitored, occasionally, measuring it with a thermometer with a scale of up to 150 degrees, and the time allotted for pasteurization is strictly observed.
Therefore, sterilization and pasteurization are methods of heat treatment of products during canning, which are distinguished only by the temperature of the water during the procedure.
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