I have around 80 kg of Bird's eye chilies + Habaneros fermenting for about 2 weeks now in several fermenting containers. Since I am planning on selling I need to get the safest way + extend shelf life for them. This is my first attempt at selling and because the amount is relatively small I can easily get a license to sell these in food markets and such. I do need though an expiration date so I can figure out the container size, but have no idea about how to determine this.
The main issue is that it is not hot sauce (it´s uncooked). It´s fermented pepper (20%), dried fruit or dried mushrooms (5%) infused in vegetable oil (75%). (I´m keeping the mash mix into the oil). My idea was to rely on the lactic acid from the fermentation, maybe add a bit of acetic acid or vinegar and then after that, pressure can the mix using a Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner. This should take care of any botulism safety issues. I have no idea though about expiration date. I have a can of sundried tomatoes in vegetable oil with an expiration date of July 2017. The added ingredients apart from the dried tomato, oil and spices is Lactic acid and Ascorbic acid as an anti-oxidant. I assume because the peppers are not dried the expiration date would be lower. Any ideas on how to get this date or sugestions to improve safety?
Thanks
The main issue is that it is not hot sauce (it´s uncooked). It´s fermented pepper (20%), dried fruit or dried mushrooms (5%) infused in vegetable oil (75%). (I´m keeping the mash mix into the oil). My idea was to rely on the lactic acid from the fermentation, maybe add a bit of acetic acid or vinegar and then after that, pressure can the mix using a Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner. This should take care of any botulism safety issues. I have no idea though about expiration date. I have a can of sundried tomatoes in vegetable oil with an expiration date of July 2017. The added ingredients apart from the dried tomato, oil and spices is Lactic acid and Ascorbic acid as an anti-oxidant. I assume because the peppers are not dried the expiration date would be lower. Any ideas on how to get this date or sugestions to improve safety?
Thanks