FOOD PRESERVATION:

CANNING BASICS
 Preserving Food
Main home food preservation methods
• Canning
• Freezing
• Drying
Choice of method depends upon
• Safe guidelines
• Product characteristics
To maintain safety and quality
• Microorganisms
• Enzymes
 How Preservation Methods Work

 Freezing reduces the temperature

 Drying removes moisture

 Canning applies heat

 Principles of Canning

 Heat processing at specified temperature for a

specified time
• Destroy organisms
• Inactivate enzymes
• Oxygen driven out
 A Vacuum is formed upon cooling
• Prevent recontamination

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 Home Canning Basics
 Recommend research-based recipes:
• USDA
• Land grant universities
• Ball® Blue Book (dated 1989 or later)
 Time, temperature, product volume
scientifically tested
 If recipe not followed correctly
• Poor quality product
• Food poisoning
• Death 5
 Two Approved Methods
of Canning Foods At Home
 Boiling Water Bath (212°F)
• Acidic foods (pH ≤ 4.6)
• Addition of acidic ingredients

 Pressure Canning (240°F)

• Low-acid foods (pH ≥ 4.6)
• Mixtures of acid and
low-acid foods

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 pH = Acidity

 Acidity measurement = pH scale 0 – 14

 Low pH values = high acidity
 Different bacteria, different acid tolerance
 Bacteria grow between pH 4.6 and 9.0
 Bacteria thrive between pH 6.0 and 7.5

Vine
gar
8
 Acidic Foods

pH < 4.6
 Fruits
 Tomatoes, figs, pears are borderline –
require acidification
 Fermented foods (sauerkraut, pickles) –
yeasts breakdown carbohydrates, ↑ acidity

Can be safely
heat processed
in boiling water 9
 Low-Acid Foods
pH > 4.6
 Vegetables
 Meats, poultry, seafood
 Soups, stews
 Mixtures of acid and low acid foods (spaghetti
sauce – meat, vegetables and tomatoes)
Must be heat
processed in a
pressure canner 10
11
 Why Two Methods?
Clostridium botulinum
 Commonly found in soil and marine sediment
 Two forms
• Vegetative cells
• Spore
 Vegetative cells killed at 212oF
 Spores destroyed at 240oF
 If do not destroy spores, they will germinate into
vegetative cells when conditions become 13
favorable and produce toxin
 Botulism Poisoning
Favorable conditions for C. botulinum grothw:
• Low oxygen
• Low acidity (pH >4.6)
• Moisture
• Temperature

germinates
growth
bacterium (multiplies)
spore

waste materials and toxins

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 Botulism Foodborne Illness
 Symptoms appear within 12 to 72 hours:

• Nausea, vomiting, weakness,

dizziness
• Blurred, double vision
• Difficulty swallowing, speaking and
breathing
• Possible death from suffocation

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 Botulism Foodborne Illness

 Potentially fatal
 Permanent nerve damage
 Food can contain toxin without showing signs
of contamination
 Improperly home canned vegetables remain the
leading cause

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 Foodborne Botulism
Outbreaks in US
 116 reported outbreaks from 1999-2008a
• 75 (91%) caused by home-prepared foods
• 33 (44%) home-canned foods

 Home canned vegetables significant causea

• Preserving low acid food improperly
• Modifying instructions
• Low awareness of risk of botulism
a
Journal of Food Protection, Vo. 74, No. 12, 2011, Pages 2090-2096. 17
18
 Preventing Botulism
Follow the recipe- NO MODIFICATIONS!
Several factors affect heat penetration
• Jar
• Food
Cold-spot
• Slowest heating area of the jar
• Determines process time
Use recommended canners
• Heat-up and cool-down times in pressure
canner are counted toward “sterilization”
• DO NOT RUSH!!!
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EQUIPMENT

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 Equipment - Jars and Lids
Jars
 Don’t use if chipped
 Keep hot
 Processing <10 min. =
must be sterilized

Lids
 ALWAYS use new flat lids
 Lid has a sealing compound filled channel
 Keep hot until used
 Threaded screw band 21
 Vacuum Seal
 Heat-processed and cooled
 Pressure outside of jar > inside jar
• Pushes lid down
• Sealing compound conforms to rim
• Creates air tight seal
 Prevents recontamination of the food
Failure to adequately heat-process
= seal failure, food spoilage, health risks

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 Packing Methods –
Raw/Cold Pack

 Raw, unheated food

 Boiling liquid poured over the food
 Tightly pack fruits and most vegetables
because that will shrink during processing
 Loosely pack starchy vegetables that will
expand during processing

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 Packing Methods –
Hot Pack
 Put hot food and boiling liquid into jars
 Pack fairly loosely because shrinking already
occurred
 Make sure enough cooking liquid covers the
food
 Preferred method for most foods

Note: If directions say only hot

pack then hot pack!
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 Headspace
 Empty space
 Allows food to expand
 Allow for good vacuums to be formed

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 Headspace

TOO LITTLE
= PREVENT SEALING

TOO MUCH
= AIR IN JAR
= PREVENT SEALING
= FOOD DISCOLOR

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 Air Bubbles

 Rise during processing

= Too much headspace
= Prevent sealing

 To prevent air bubbles

• Run a plastic or rubber knife-like
utensil around the edges of the jar
• Gently shift the food
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 Boiling Water Bath
Canner
 Water: 1-2 inches MUST cover the jars
 Place ALL jars in canner
 Start timer when water returns to a boil
 Cover

 DO NOT DISTURB jars for 12-24 hours

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 Pressure Canning
 Water: 3 - 4 inches
 Place jars in canner
 Heat the pressure canner until steam comes out of the
vent tube
 Allow steam to vent for 10 min.

 Process times are for a pure steam environment

 USDA instructs to vent ALL pressure canners
 DO NOT DISTURB jars for 12-24 hours

If pressure drops anytime during the process, bring the

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canner back up to required pressure and start timing the
Pressure Canners Features

Dial Gauge
 Indicates pressure inside the canner
 Must be checked for accuracy
 Has dead- or counter-weight to close open vent
for pressurizing
 Adjust heat to maintain pressure

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 Pressure Canners Features

Weighted Gauge
 Weights regulate pressure inside the
canner – 5, 10, 15 lb.
 Open vent is where the weights fit
 Steam, exhausted during processing,
causes the weights to rock or jiggle
 Does not require testing for accuracy, but
replace the weights if they become
damaged 32
 Storing Home Canned Food

 Label and date

 Store without ring bands
 Store in cool, dark, dry place
 Refrigerate unsealed jars
 Avoid temperature extremes
 For best quality, use
within a year

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Disclaimer:
 Trade and brand names are used only for information. The University of Rhode Island
does not guarantee nor warrant published standards on any product mentioned; neither
does the use of a trade or brand name imply approval of any product to the exclusion of
others which may also be suitable.

Document Use:
 Adapted with permission of the University of Georgia. Harrison, J.A. 2008. Canning
Foods at Home – The Basics (slides). Athens, GA: The University of Georgia, Cooperative
Extension.
 So Easy to Preserve, 5th Edition, 2006, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
Service
 Adapted with permission of the University of Georgia. Andress, E.L. 2003. Freezing fruits
and vegetables at home (slides). Athens, GA: The University of Georgia, Cooperative
Extension Service.
 Adapted with permission of the University of Illinois. Finck, J. 2011. Drying Foods
(slides). Springfield, IL: The University of Illinois, Extension.
 Ball® Complete Book of Home Preserving, Ed. J. Kingry and L. Devine, 2006. Robert
Rose Inc.

Photography Credits
 Elizabeth Andress and Elaine D’Sa, National Center for Home Food Preservation,
University of Georgia.
 Information Staff, Agricultural Research Service, USDA.
 North Caroline State University 34