EFFECT OF HOUSEHOLD PROCESSING 
AND STORAGE ON QUALITY OF 
PICKLED VEGETABLES AND FRUITS 
J. P. Sweeney, N. E. Liming,! A. Beloian,? andjE. H. Dawson, Human Nutrition Research Division, Agricultural 
Research Service 
SUMMARY 
An investigation of various pickled products 
was made to determine household processing 
requirements for safety from spoilage due to 
micro-organisms (bacteriological safety) and for 
maintaining high quality of the food. (The term 
‘processing,’ as used in this report, refers to 
heating in water bath or with steam under pres- 
sure, to destroy food-spoilage organisms.) The 
effects of processing and storage time on quality 
of the pickled products were also investigated. 
Included in this study were fermented dilled 
cucumbers, sauerkraut, fresh-pack dilled cucum- 
bers, crosscut cucumber slices, sweet gherkins, 
dilled green beans, corn relish, horseradish, 
pepper-onion relish, piccalilli, tomato-apple chut- 
ney, tomato-pear chutney, pickled peaches, and 
pickled pears. 
When the pickled products were treated by the 
methods used in this investigation, the lethality 
values (total equivalent minutes at 160° F.) 
exceeded, in all cases, those considered necessary 
for bacteriological safety of the products. The 
pH values of all pickled products studied were 
below 4.6, the minimum that permits growth of 
Clostridium botulinum spores and the production 
of toxin. More than 90 percent of the acid in 
fermented (brined) dilled cucumber pickles was 
lactic acid, indicating nearly complete fermenta- 
tion. Acid values of fermented and fresh-pack 
dilled cucumbers and crosscut cucumber slices 
ranged from about 0.7 to 1 percent. A 0.7-percent 
acid concentration is considered sufficient for 
preservation. Sweet gherkins, horseradish, and 
pepper-onion relish were relatively high in acid, 
ranging from 0.8 to 2.8 percent. 
Values for pH and acid changed very little as 
the result of processing or storage of the pickled 
products. 
A salt brine of about 3 to 6 percent sodium 
chloride for fermented dilled cucumbers aided in 
the rapid formation of a high amount of acid 
and a low pH. The salt content of the pickled 
products was about the same as that of the brine. 
There were only slight changes in salt content as 
the result of processing or storage. 
A high soluble solids content is of value because 
of its preservative action and its influence on 
flavor. Soluble solids content of fermented dill 
pickles ranged from 7.1 to 7.9 percent. Values 
for fermented and fresh-pack dilled cucumbers 
and dilled green beans decreased slightly with 
storage. Crosscut cucumber slices, sweet gher- 
kins, pickled peaches, pickled pears, and tomato- 
apple chutney all had soluble solids values ranging 
from 30 to 45 percent. The values were not 
ereatly influenced by processing or storage time. 
After storage for periods up to 6 months, proc- 
essed fermented dill pickles were superior in 
color and texture to the unprocessed pickles. 
Color and texture of the other pickled products 
did not appear to be greatly influenced by proc- 
essing. Processed pickles were generally superior 
in flavor to unprocessed pickles during the first 
6 months of storage. Destruction of peroxidase 
activity by heat was, no doubt, a factor in 
the superior flavor of the processed pickles. 
After 9 months of storage, there was little flavor 
difference between processed and unprocessed 
pickles. 
PURPOSE OF THE INVESTIGATION 
The investigation reported here was made to 
determine whether pasteurization requirements 
and procedures used by commercial pickle proces- 
sors could be adapted to home conditions, and 
whether the use of those procedures would result 
in a bacteriologically safe product without harm 
1 Present address: Eastern Utilization Research and Development Division, Agricultural Research Service, 
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250. 
2 Present address: Pesticides Regulation Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 
Beltsville, Md., 20705. 
1 
