Looking for information on commercial canning of Peppers (Jalapenos etc)!

D

daniyalsm

Hello,
 
I am interested in commercially canning peppers and had a few questions. I will highly appreciate if someone with experience can help me.
 
1. Is vacuum sealing necessary for commercial canning?
2. Is vacuum sealing done on tin cans also?
3. Is it necessary to treat the product with boiling water for sterilization? Is this done for both glass jars and tin cans?
4. Is UV sterilization an adequate alternative to steam/boiling water sterilization?
5. Can we can peppers in plastic jars/pails? If yes, how is this product sterilized?
6. How do you determine the expiry date?
 
Thanks in advance.
 
daniyalsm said:
Hello,
 
I am interested in commercially canning peppers and had a few questions. I will highly appreciate if someone with experience can help me.
 
1. Is vacuum sealing necessary for commercial canning?
2. Is vacuum sealing done on tin cans also?
3. Is it necessary to treat the product with boiling water for sterilization? Is this done for both glass jars and tin cans?
4. Is UV sterilization an adequate alternative to steam/boiling water sterilization?
5. Can we can peppers in plastic jars/pails? If yes, how is this product sterilized?
6. How do you determine the expiry date?
 
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Are you in Pakistan?
 
daniyalsm said:
Yup I am.
Click to expand...
 
The reason I asked is WHERE you plan on doing this, "1. Is vacuum sealing necessary for commercial canning?" If you plan on just selling in Pakistan you should search for rules & regs there as I would think different rules may apply. If you're thinking canning there then selling here in the US that would open a whole different can of worms.We recently had a member join that you might want to send a PM to.
 
Blisteredbrains said:
Hey there!
Super happy to be a part of the hot sauce family! I was born and raised in Pakistan but have been living in various cities in the US since 2005.
Currently my home base is just outside of Charlotte NC.
Ive been making and enjoying hot sauces for as long as I can and always incorporating flavors common to Pakistani foods. Im excited to be able to learn from this community and also share my sauces if there is interest!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
 
The reason I asked is WHERE you plan on doing this, "1. Is vacuum sealing necessary for commercial canning?" If you plan on just selling in Pakistan you should search for rules & regs there as I would think different rules may apply. If you're thinking canning there then selling here in the US that would open a whole different can of worms.We recently had a member join that you might want to send a PM to.
 
Click to expand...
I am currently not looking at selling in the United States. I'll be targeting the local market for jalapeno slices. I have successfully canned jalapenos in mason jars in the US, however I wanted to know details for commercial operations. I will be growing the peppers myself.
 
daniyalsm said:
I am currently not looking at selling in the United States. I'll be targeting the local market for jalapeno slices. I have successfully canned jalapenos in mason jars in the US, however I wanted to know details for commercial operations. I will be growing the peppers myself.
Click to expand...
 
OK, so you're looking for some help with commercial packing of Jalapeño slices to sell at local markets in Pakistan that you will be growing yourself. The reason we need to figure this out is your use of "vacuum sealing" and "boiling water for sterilization". So by sterilization you mean preparing the containers to receive the the brine/peppers and vacuum sealing you mean the process of getting the packed containers to have air removed to form a vacuum in the container making them shelf stable. The reason for my confusion is your initial text listed vacuum first and sterilization second so I wanted to make sure we're on the same page.
 
 
_
 
What else is used in the process? Are they pickled in vinegar then packed in jars and processed?
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
 
OK, so you're looking for some help with commercial packing of Jalapeño slices to sell at local markets in Pakistan that you will be growing yourself. The reason we need to figure this out is your use of "vacuum sealing" and "boiling water for sterilization". So by sterilization you mean preparing the containers to receive the the brine/peppers and vacuum sealing you mean the process of getting the packed containers to have air removed to form a vacuum in the container making them shelf stable. The reason for my confusion is your initial text listed vacuum first and sterilization second so I wanted to make sure we're on the same page.
 
 
_
Click to expand...
Yes I'm looking for information on commercial packing for Jalapenos:

Glass Jar example: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mezzetta-Deli-Sliced-Tamed-Jalape-o-Peppers-16-Oz/10313636
Tin/Can example: https://www.walmart.com/ip/La-Costena-Pickled-Jalapeno-Nacho-Slices-26-oz-Pack-of-12/19475590

I have also seen plastic jar packaging:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Best-Maid-Dill-Pickles-1-gal-Plastic-Jar/10308508
 
I think out of the 3 above, only the glass jars are vacuum sealed right?
 
By sterilization I mean whatever is required for a safe product. I have seen videos in which people:
a) Sterilize empty containers by boiling. Separately boil the peppers in vinegar/brine. Add boiled peppers in containers.
b) Do not sterilize empty containers. Do not boil peppers in vinegar/brine. Put unboiled peppers in unsterilized jars. Boil vinegar/brine solution and add that solution to jar. Seal jar and boil sealed jar in water.
c) a variation of the above mentioned (example do whats mentioned in "a" but then boil jar again after sealing).
 
I will presume that vacuum sealing will be done after the boiling stage if employing method "a" but before boiling for if employing method "b".
 
We do not require pressure canning for pickled jalapenos right? Also can we use UV sterilization rather than heat sterilization?
 
salsalady said:
What else is used in the process? Are they pickled in vinegar then packed in jars and processed?
Click to expand...
Yes pickled in a solution containing water, vinegar, salt and calcium chloride (as a firming agent).
 
daniyalsm said:
Yes I do.
Click to expand...
 
I want to apologize if I seemed questioningly you on your posts. Having dealt with a few members from different parts of the world I wanted to make sure we are on the same page as obviously we don't have a language issue.
 
Another question, are you familiar with preserving in tin cans? As far as I know it's a much more complex procedure than using a jar with removable lid that just needs a hot bath to make it shelf stable. Fast forward to 03:30.......
 
EDIT: And I stumbled over this,  How to can my jalapenos? Can you use starsan?, that might prove helpful!
 
And the young lady with the handle SalsaLady is our resident guru on all things done in a kitchen! Whatever she says is gospel around here...
 
daniyalsm said:
Hello,
 
I am interested in commercially canning peppers and had a few questions. I will highly appreciate if someone with experience can help me.
 
3. Is it necessary to treat the product with boiling water for sterilization? Is this done for both glass jars and tin cans?
4. Is UV sterilization an adequate alternative to steam/boiling water sterilization?
Click to expand...
 
Just stumbled over this.>Sterilizing
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
 
I want to apologize if I seemed questioningly you on your posts. Having dealt with a few members from different parts of the world I wanted to make sure we are on the same page as obviously we don't have a language issue.
 
Another question, are you familiar with preserving in tin cans? As far as I know it's a much more complex procedure than using a jar with removable lid that just needs a hot bath to make it shelf stable. Fast forward to 03:30.......
 

 
 
EDIT: And I stumbled over this, , that might prove helpful!
 
And the young lady with the handle SalsaLady is our resident guru on all things done in a kitchen! Whatever she says is gospel around here...
Click to expand...
No problem. We learn English from kindergarten in Pakistan. Also I did my undergrad from the United States, however that has no bearing on my English skills.
 
I don't believe that tin canning is much different from glass bottle canning, other than the fact that you require some specialized equipment for the double seaming process.
 
My confusion still stands as from what I have gathered we need to prevent any chances of our product being infected by clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism. According to Cleveland Clinic:
"To kill C botulinum spores, set your pressure cooker to 116°C. You need to cook foods until their internal temperature is 85°C for 10 minutes."
Now I have read in multiple places that for canning peppers contained in a low pH medium, you don't require pressure canning, rather you can just use regular water bath heating.
 
I am confused by the fact that gherkins / pickled products are also sold in plastic (PET) containers: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Best-Maid-Dill-Pickles-1-gal-Plastic-Jar/10308508

How is this sterilized? I think if you heat sterlize plastics, there is a chance of phthalates and other nasty stuff leaching out into the product.
 
So in conclusion, I want to know whether it is safe to use UV (ultraviolet) sterilization rather than heat sterlization in addition to the following:
 
1. Is vacuum sealing necessary for commercial canning? I believe not, since I don't think tin cans are vacuum sealed.
2. Is vacuum sealing done on tin cans also? I don't think so
3. Is it necessary to treat the product with boiling water for sterilization? Is this done for both glass jars and tin cans? Probably yes, unless we can use UV instead of heat sterilization
4. Is UV sterilization an adequate alternative to steam/boiling water sterilization? Need to figure this out
5. Can we can peppers in plastic jars/pails? If yes, how is this product sterilized? Yes, but still need to figure out how the product is sterilized for this case
6. How do you determine the expiry date? Still need to figure out
 
OK, I'd like to address your concerns that I'm familiar with, one at a time, sound like a plan? When you're comfortable on the subject let me know and we'll move on.
 
daniyalsm said:
My confusion still stands as from what I have gathered we need to prevent any chances of our product being infected by clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism.
Click to expand...
 
I wanted to start with Botulism. Killing the spores with heat and prevention of growth with low pH are generally used in tandem:

USDA-Food Safety Information-Clostridium botulinum
Canning peppers WITHOUT a waterbath
canning - pressure vs water bath
PH testing
USDA-Complete Guide to Home Canning
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
OK, I'd like to address your concerns that I'm familiar with, one at a time, sound like a plan? When you're comfortable on the subject let me know and we'll move on.
 
 
I wanted to start with Botulism. Killing the spores with heat and prevention of growth with low pH are generally used in tandem:

USDA-Food Safety Information-Clostridium botulinum
Canning peppers WITHOUT a waterbath
canning - pressure vs water bath
PH testing
USDA-Complete Guide to Home Canning
Click to expand...
USDA-Food Safety Information-Clostridium botulinum - Takeaway is that we must use both heat and pH to counter this. Still have not found any information about whether we can replace heat with UV safely. UV will help eliminate chances of mushy peppers
 
Canning peppers WITHOUT a waterbath OP doesn't process canned product in boiling water bath and that keeps his peppers firm, but at the same time this is not recommended by USDA.
 
 
USDA-Complete Guide to Home Canning
"Low-acid foods have pH values higher than 4.6. They include red meats, seafood, poultry, milk, and all fresh vegetables except for most tomatoes." ... "Botulinum spores are very hard to destroy at boiling-water temperatures; the higher the canner temperature, the more easily they are destroyed. Therefore, all low-acid foods should be sterilized at temperatures of 240° to 250°F,.." ... "At temperatures of 240° to 250°F, the time needed to destroy bacteria in low-acid canned food ranges from 20 to 100 minutes. The exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is packed into jars, and the size of jars. The time needed to safely process low-acid foods in a boiling-water canner ranges from 7 to 11 hours; the time needed to process acid foods in boiling water varies from 5 to 85 minutes."
 
We treat peppers in brine/vinegar as low acid or high acid? Because if we treat them as low acid, they will surely become a mush if we follow the above mentioned guidelines and boil them for hours.
 
 
Also I have seen some products containing sodium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate. Are these neccesary for long shelf life or can we skip these.
 
 
NECM.....that's just setting me up for failure! :lol: I've just done a few different things and got licensed like lots of other folks around here. Each person's licensing process is a little different, but a lot of things are the same.


Back on topic...
Here's some pickle recipes from Colorado State University. Some recipes call for pressure canning, others for boiling water bath.
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/making-pickles-9-304/


Here's some pickled pepper recipes. You can substitute different vegetables and peppers as long as the total weight called for remains the same and the vinegar brine recipe remains the same.
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/making-pickled-peppers-at-home-9-314/


Pretty much all hobby home beginning picklers use glass jars and the lids/rings. And most professional companies also. Companies using plastics have to use some kind of UV or irradiation.

I've used the above pickled pepper recipes with great results. You can also do a cold pack pepper using the same recipe and keeping refrigerated.
Make the brine and let cool
Slice the peppers/veggies
Pack into jars
Pour cooled brine over, work out the bubbles
Cap and refrigerate for 2 weeks to allow the veggies to get pickled.
Keep refrigerated

If you intend to sell, you need to find out what your local regulations are. Usually, pickled items can be made and sold out of your home kitchen with some licensing and a visit from the local health inspector. But don't take our word for it.

Good luck and have fun.
Keep us posted~
SL
 
salsalady said:
NECM.....that's just setting me up for failure! I've just done a few different things and got licensed like lots of other folks around here. Each person's licensing process is a little different, but a lot of things are the same.
Click to expand...
Yes but you've done this more than anyone I know of and you have all that knowledge & experience stored in that memory stick between your ears! Two things though........... #1 is his location:
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
Are you in Pakistan?
Click to expand...
daniyalsm said:
Yup I am.
Click to expand...
And #2 is his description of "commercial" canning. I'm still trying to figure out the size he's talking about but I believe it's way beyond a household kitchen or any co-packer you're used to.   Knowing you as I do, I figure we'll be able to muddle through!
 
So now that I've buttered you up............. OP has a pH meter and I know pH is 3 something or other, correct?
 
 
daniyalsm said:
We treat peppers in brine/vinegar as low acid or high acid? Because if we treat them as low acid, they will surely become a mush if we follow the above mentioned guidelines and boil them for hours.
Click to expand...
Took me years to remember the scale is inverse!

ggrJ4BZ.jpg



The pH scale is an inverse logarithm and ranges from 0 to 14 . Anything below 7.0 (ranging from 0.0 to 6.9) is acidic, and anything above 7.0 (from 7.1 to 14.0) is alkaline.
 
The higher the acidity the lower the number.
 
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