food-safety Proper ph

[cmwr]

Question about my ph level. I know my level is safe. The reason I put food safety as a sub topic is just because. I have a recipe I use repeatedly. I made a batch a couple weeks ago (left bottle) with dried bakers creek datils from 2024. This morning I tested the ph with my new meter for the first time. I first calibrated it starting with 4.0 then 7 then 10. They were all perfect and no calibration was needed. I am using a thermoworks tester that is calibrated for temp as well. My ph for this sauce was 3.5. Heck yeah!! That made me happy. Now I can mail it to my niece. I made a new batch this morning (right bottle) exactly the same only I used fresh St Augustine datils that I got from Florida. I used a few more fresh datils this morning than I used dried two weeks ago although not a significant amount. This mornings batch reads 3.2.

My question is…can it be too low? For some reason I thought you wanted to try to hit the high 3s.

FWIW the dried BC datils were darkened from the dehydrator hence the dark color and the St Augustine datils were yellow. Typically BC datils are an orangish color. Quite frankly I like the left sauce better than this mornings batch. Better flavor from the peppers I believe

 

[INTLgunMonkey]

Question about my ph level. I know my level is safe. The reason I put food safety as a sub topic is just because. I have a recipe I use repeatedly. I made a batch a couple weeks ago (left bottle) with dried bakers creek datils from 2024. This morning I tested the ph with my new meter for the first time. I first calibrated it starting with 4.0 then 7 then 10. They were all perfect and no calibration was needed. I am using a thermoworks tester that is calibrated for temp as well. My ph for this sauce was 3.5. Heck yeah!! That made me happy. Now I can mail it to my niece. I made a new batch this morning (right bottle) exactly the same only I used fresh St Augustine datils that I got from Florida. I used a few more fresh datils this morning than I used dried two weeks ago although not a significant amount. This mornings batch reads 3.2.

My question is…can it be too low? For some reason I thought you wanted to try to hit the high 3s.

FWIW the dried BC datils were darkened from the dehydrator hence the dark color and the St Augustine datils were yellow. Typically BC datils are an orangish color. Quite frankly I like the left sauce better than this mornings batch. Better flavor from the peppers I believe

Too low? Not realistically.

The 5% vinegar that we all use is around 2.6-3.0. It’ll be hard to break that barrier without using some crazy ingredients.

The real floor is going to be based on taste. You could have a 2.0 sauce, but it’s going to be so tangy that most people probably aren’t going to like it- too, getting there without using something like muriatic acid is going to be tough.

Vinegar is one of the most acidic things that people like to eat, and even then in relatively small doses, so anything at or more basic than vinegar is probably going to appeal to most people.

The safe limit for water bath canning is technically 4.6, but you’ll find, if you play with your meter enough and keep notes, that the PH does fluctuate some over time, which is where most home canners came up with the <4 guideline.

 

[INTLgunMonkey]

Also, remember that PH is logarithmic, so a 3.0 is 10x more acidic than a 4.0.

….meaning that 2.0 is 100x more acidic than a 4.0.

If you stick with common ingredients that people actually eat, you’re not going to get much lower than 2.4, 2.6 or so.

 

[INTLgunMonkey]

One last note, and I’ll leave you alone

Trust the temperature calibration at your own peril, and at the very least make sure you’re operating within the stated temp range of the calibration.

For example, my Apera “ATCs”, but from 0-50C, 32-125F. But, just like most scales and thermometers, they’re most accurate near the middle of their scale. For mine, that means peak accuracy comes at 78F… or room temperature.

I don’t know what the range on yours is, but I’m going to bet that the middle of the range is somewhere around room temp… which is also somewhere around where you’re going to store it.

Room temp ph readings are safest.

 

[cmwr]

One last note, and I’ll leave you alone

Trust the temperature calibration at your own peril, and at the very least make sure you’re operating within the stated temp range of the calibration.

For example, my Apera “ATCs”, but from 0-50C, 32-125F. But, just like most scales and thermometers, they’re most accurate near the middle of their scale. For mine, that means peak accuracy comes at 78F… or room temperature.

I don’t know what the range on yours is, but I’m going to bet that the middle of the range is somewhere around room temp… which is also somewhere around where you’re going to store it.

Room temp ph readings are safest.

The darker batch I tested came out of the fridge and I put a sample in a little cup. It was about 51 to 55° when I tested it the sample I made this morning sat in a little cup and it was around 110-115° when I tested it. I could see the PH going up or down slowly as the temperature stabilized.

 

[INTLgunMonkey]

The darker batch I tested came out of the fridge and I put a sample in a little cup. It was about 51 to 55° when I tested it the sample I made this morning sat in a little cup and it was around 120° when I tested it. I could see the PH going up or down slowly as the temperature stabilized.

Which model PH meter did you get?

 

[cmwr]

Which model PH meter did you get?

https://www.thermoworks.com/waterproof-ph-pen-8681/

 

[INTLgunMonkey]

https://www.thermoworks.com/waterproof-ph-pen-8681/

That’s got the same temp range as mine; so that 110-115 was getting near the edge of what they manufacturer says their ATC is good for.

Within that temp range, a PH of 3.8 can read as low as 3.5 or as high as 4.0- so you’re obviously in the safe range, and not much to worry about.


Maybe a bit overkill, but in my notebooks (hotsauce, beer and wine… and some other stuff), I keep a not of what it started at, what it finished at, and then, when I open the first one later, I get a sample to room temp and check again. You’ll see how it can fluctuate over time, and it’ll give you confidence in future batches.

 

[cmwr]

Appreciate all your knowledge. I originally

That’s got the same temp range as mine; so that 110-115 was getting near the edge of what they manufacturer says their ATC is good for.

Within that temp range, a PH of 3.8 can read as low as 3.5 or as high as 4.0- so you’re obviously in the safe range, and not much to worry about.


Maybe a bit overkill, but in my notebooks (hotsauce, beer and wine… and some other stuff), I keep a not of what it started at, what it finished at, and then, when I open the first one later, I get a sample to room temp and check again. You’ll see how it can fluctuate over time, and it’ll give you confidence in future batches.

appreciate all your knowledge. I originally said it was 120 but I had to rethink. It wasn’t that hot so I edited but you quoted me before I saved the edit . Anyways yeah I agree as low as it read if it checked 3.5-3.6 at room temp, I’m still happy lol. In the future I’ll be more finicky about temp when I check. The reason I posted this thread was because I could have sworn several years ago someone told me low 3s was a little too low and it would bother people’s stomach. Doesn’t bother mine lol. I’m sure happy to know you can go even lower and still be acceptable

 

[INTLgunMonkey]

…The reason I posted this thread was because I could have sworn several years ago someone told me low 3s was a little too low and it would bother people’s stomach…

Nah, 3.0 is more than fine.

I knew I had read this, but wanted to go double check:

The PH of Coca Cola is <2.5. 5x more acidic than a hotsauce at 3.0.

You’re good and have PLENTY of room to play around.