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bottling Help with bottling!

D

Dales_Hot_Sauce

I’ve been making sauce for 10 years and usually can/ water bath them. This year I just bottled them after extensive research, and they are very discolored at the top.
I got my PH to 3.4, kept the sauce at 180 degrees. I used star-San for the bottles and lids and did a hot fill method. Then flipped the bottles upside down. I haven’t touched them in a few months and now the top (once flipped) is nearly black. I sell them at local markets, online, and to friends but now I’m afraid I can’t. Why did this happen? Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Dale
 

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i'll take a stab, but i could easily be wrong, as this is not my area of expertise:

i think it's because they were underfilled, with too much head-space in the bottle, and the excess air inside is oxidizing the adjacent sauce.
 
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:welcome:

salsalady

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If you haven't already, please read the above linked post. Selling sauces before being properly licensed and insured is a huge risk to you. You could be sued by someone claiming to have gotten sick from your sauce and you would have no protection. You would be totally liable and could lose everything. Give away, trade, offer samples for review, but don't sell, especially across state lines via internet sales.

For the process in the woozy bottles, the process is hot fill-invert- hold (for 2-5 minutes) then revert to upright. Do not store inverted.

The short-fill is probably contributing to the discoloration due to oxidization. A BWB does a better and different sealing process than HFH. These are issues that working with a process authority can help solve.

Good Luck and have fun!
salsalady
 
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salsalady said:
Do not store inverted.
Click to expand...
Can you elaborate on what the detriment is here? My first batch (legal batch) I found out quickly I bit off more than I could chew in the time I had, so I had about 10 cases left to label, code and shrink wrap. They were all still inverted until the next day. I don't notice anything but you've got my curiosity up and I unsuccessfully used the google's to no avail.
 
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I cant remember the explanation from the PA. The last couple recipes submitted for approval specifically called out to upright the bottles. I dont worry about flipping the bottles at the 2-5 minute mark. I just keep bottling and invert into their cardboard boxes. When done bottling, i flip the boxes over and drop the bottles out.

Then i can leave them to label later.
 
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There's a slight risk of the bottom not being sanitized if you don't flip it back over, since "hot" sauce only touched it the few seconds before you inverted it. If you leave it until cool/cold and flip it back it may not be sanitized. Remember that the reason you invert 2+ min. is to sanitize the headspace so you'll want to use that logic for the bottom space as well when righting the bottle. Also, even though foam liners are food-safe, personally I wouldn't want the sauce in full contact for a long period of time due to any potential leaching.
 
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I looked into it further and found that a minimum six second hold at 178° will sterilize (scientifically), but processors enforce the longer hold (2+ min.) for safety. This would mean if you filled and flipped in two seconds you could run the risk of non-sterilization of the bottom, but imo it would be slight since you should be using sterilized bottles, and the main purpose it to sterilize the headspace where a funnel may have come in contact with the inner neck and to sterilize the cap liner, etc. However that might be a good thing to note, to count to six if you plan not to flip them back for awhile. I think if this were an issue however, your processor would mention it. So it's probably a non-issue.

For @Dales_Hot_Sauce, hope the issue is sorted.
 
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