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You are here: Home / Food / Acidifying Canned Tomatoes & Tomato Products

July 20, 2015

Acidifying Canned Tomatoes & Tomato Products

six canning jarsYou’ve heard us say it before – vegetables and other low acidity foods must be canned in pressure canners in order to reach temperatures high enough to kill harmful microorganisms that would otherwise grow. Many consumers typically think of tomatoes as highly acidic foods. However, due to several factors, including ease in harvesting and consumer demand, tomatoes are now bred to have a lower acidity than they once did.

Participants in our home food preservation classes are usually surprised to learn that tomatoes need to be further acidified for safe canning! Tomatoes have a pH between 4 and 4.6. Because of their varying acidity, we can only be sure that tomatoes have been safely canned when they have been acidified. The following chart indicates how much acid must be added to tomatoes.

Acidifcation table

Note that the lemon juice option specifies using bottled lemon juice. Fresh lemons may also have varying acidity, so using bottled lemon juice offers consistency in the pH of the product.

Other options for acids include citric acid and vinegar. Vinegar may cause a change in flavor of your product. Acidification is required whether you are water bath canning tomatoes or pressure canning them.

Tomatoes are one of the most popular home-canned items. Be sure you are canning tomatoes safely by acidifying them. For more information about preserving tomatoes, visit Ohioline to read OSU Extension’s Fact Sheets on Canning Tomatoes(PDF)Links to a PDF document. and Canning Tomato Products(PDF)Links to a PDF document..

Written by: Joanna Rini, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension – Medina County, rini.41@osu.edu

Reviewed by: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension – Ross County

Sources:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/HYG_5336_15.pdf

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/food_nutrition/canning/tips/27tomato_products_acidify.html

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Categories: Food
Tags: acidifying, canning, home canning, home food preservation, tomatoes

Avatar for Joanna Fifner
Avatar for Joanna Fifner

About Joanna Fifner

Joanna Fifner, M.A.Ed is an OSU Extension Educator specializing in child and adolescent development. Her work emphasizes the significance of parent and family decision-making in the formative years, and aims to encourage thoughtful choices for a healthy and happy family life. Joanna lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband and their two rescue dogs.

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