• If you have a question about commercial production or the hot sauce business, please post in Startup Help.

color Yellow Sauces - Keeping the Color

funk-o-tears

funk-o-tears

Hi, all. I make a Fatalii-based sauce every year and it tastes great, but I'm wondering if anyone has tips for keeping the color bright over time. It starts out a beautiful bright yellow, but as hot sauces often do, it darkens down after it sits for a while and starts to look more ochre brown, which isn't very visually appealing.
 
I used to include apple or pear to sweeten, mellow, and bulk it up, but both of those ingredients definitely contribute to the problem. Yellow bell and some other yellow peppers hold the color better and then I sweeten a little with agave or cane sugar, which has helped, but I thought I'd throw the question out there, in case anyone has other suggestions.
 
Thanks!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Apples & pears do have the negative effect you cited.
I  use turmeric or/and ripe mangoes for the sweetness to my sauces...turmeric is a great additive & used much in the hot sauce world.
I get the fresh rhizomes,(looks a bit like ginger)  from the local Indian grocery store  @ dirt cheap prices,alternately you can buy it in powder form.
Wear gloves as turmeric has staining powers...Turmeric is terrifically healthy with anti inflammatory and anti oxidant properties too.
 
img_4549.jpg

img_4546.jpg

img_4557.jpg
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I forgot to mention Turmeric. If you can get fresh root then thats way better then the powder, depending were you get it the powder can be bitter.
Used some turmeric powder earlier for my Tomato Soup to brighten it up.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Ive always considered turmeric to add more of an orange color than yellow, but maybe there are different varieties of it with some being more yellow. Another possibility is yellow beets.

I believe color changes like this over time are mainly due to oxidation of ingredients/pigments. One way to inhibit oxidation is to deprive the sauce of oxygen. You can buy vacuum blender carafes now which will help limit the oxygen pulled into the sauce during blending, and you can also store the sauces in vacuum sealed jars. Also storing your sauce in the dark can reduce oxidation reactions too.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I have been thinking about how to make my sauce more yellow.

One problem is that my "yellow" scotch bonnets and habeneros are very rarely purely yellow, most have a bit of orange to them.

An idea I had today, that I will incorporate in my next yellow sauce - use yellow carrots as an ingredient.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
funk-o-tears said:
Hi, all. I make a Fatalii-based sauce every year and it tastes great, but I'm wondering if anyone has tips for keeping the color bright over time. It starts out a beautiful bright yellow, but as hot sauces often do, it darkens down after it sits for a while and starts to look more ochre brown, which isn't very visually appealing.

I used to include apple or pear to sweeten, mellow, and bulk it up, but both of those ingredients definitely contribute to the problem. Yellow bell and some other yellow peppers hold the color better and then I sweeten a little with agave or cane sugar, which has helped, but I thought I'd throw the question out there, in case anyone has other suggestions.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
This isn't a color issue it's called oxidation, like an apple turning brown. It starts off the yellow you want, you can keep it that way with an antioxidant like ascorbic acid.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dragonsfire said:
citric acid and vinegar.
Click to expand...
Citric is not as powerful as ascorbic (as an antioxidant) and it alters the flavor to sour.

Citric acid and ascorbic acid are both found in citrus juice, as well as in numerous other fruits and vegetables. But they have different properties.
  • Ascorbic acid is vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. It is the more versatile of the two acids. Among its many uses, it keeps cut fruits and vegetables from turning brown. Another major use is in baking bread: It promotes the growth of yeast, which gives bread a finer texture and greater volume. In commercial food processing, it is used as a preservative. Its chemical formula is C6H8O6.
  • Citric acid is a less potent antioxidant. It has one more oxygen atom than ascorbic acid (chemical formula C6H8O7). But it has little nutritional value. Its value is its tartness. Citric acid is used commercially to enhance or provide tart flavor in products from tart candies to soft drinks. So much of it is added to cola that it can soften the teeth of heavy consumers. Some bakers use it in sourdough bread to produce an especially assertive tanginess.
blog.thenibble.com

FOOD 101: The Difference Between Ascorbic Acid & Citric Acid | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures

Ascorbic acid prevents cut fruit from turning brown. Citric acid provides tart flavor. And dipping apple slices into honey is delicious. Photo by Tova Photography | IST. In the previous post, we discussed how to make your own lime juice cordial. The recipe contains citric acid. One of our...
blog.thenibble.com
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top