food-safety Is this mold?

[ChilliPadie]

Hi there! Really grateful to have stumbled upon this forum.

I have a question on my hot sauce. I’m wondering whether there’s mold or just dead lacto at the bottom of my hot sauce? I’ve uploaded some pics for reference. Appreciate your advice!

As per the pics, the top surface area of the sauce is fine but the bottom isn’t. I’ve also tasted the sauce and it seems fine.

 

[ChilliPadie]

FYI there’s separation at the bottom of the sauce

 

[ChilliPadie]

Bump

 

[ChilliPadie]

bump

 

[CaneDog]

Well, your pH is good and low and the sauce looks perfectly fine to me (the white stuff looks like yeast, not mold), but I sure wouldn't want to tell you it's okay and have it not be, especially when I'm just looking at some pictures. You say it tastes fine and I assume there's no bad odor or you'd mention that. Everything seems to suggest it's fine, but again, I haven't seen it in person and I'm not the one eating it.

I like the color. What kind of sauce is it?

 

[Black Compass]

Rest of your area looks really clean. Can you get that sample analyzed?

 

[ChilliPadie]

Well, your pH is good and low and the sauce looks perfectly fine to me (the white stuff looks like yeast, not mold), but I sure wouldn't want to tell you it's okay and have it not be, especially when I'm just looking at some pictures. You say it tastes fine and I assume there's no bad odor or you'd mention that. Everything seems to suggest it's fine, but again, I haven't seen it in person and I'm not the one eating it.

I like the color. What kind of sauce is it?

Thanks for the reply. Fair enough. Purely inspection can only go so far. Im sending the sample over for a lab test and will update the results here.
I suspect its just dead lacto as the surface is unaffected. Taste and smell both are fine and in fact kinda taste better lol as its abit more acidic.

Its a habanero pineapple sauce.

 

[CaneDog]

Thanks for the reply. Fair enough. Purely inspection can only go so far. Im sending the sample over for a lab test and will update the results here.
I suspect its just dead lacto as the surface is unaffected. Taste and smell both are fine and in fact kinda taste better lol as its abit more acidic.

Its a habanero pineapple sauce.

Sound delicious! I hope everything is fine with it.

 

[Downriver]

Sorry for the late response. I had to wait for the thread to quit bumping.

My short answer is.....can't tell. My guess is it's not mold, and it is probably LB, like you said. BUT, your pics raise a few questions....

In the "white stuff", there's what looks like minute snails leaving trails through it. Did you try to stir it, or do you have a newly discovered critter of some sort living in your bottle?

How on earth did to get your pH down to 2.67? Some vinegars aren't that low! Have you calibrated your tester lately?

What's all those bubbles about? Is this still fermenting? Did you pasteurize your sauce prior to bottling?

Curious minds wanna know, lol.

And I agree with CaneDog, I like the look of your sauce as well. And Pineapple Habanero can be delicious!

Best of luck with it!