Putting Food By - Janet Greene [16]
Sorghum and molasses are not recommended for most food-preservation because of their strong flavors.
Artificial Sweeteners and Other Sugar Substitutes
Also called “non-nutritive” sweeteners, these are available in granulated, liquid, or tablet forms in the United States.
Although amounts of artificial sweetener to use are given in the recipes, it is essential also to read carefully the equivalent-to-sugar measurements on the label of the sweetener. Sweetening power varies from one brand name to another, and among liquid and tablet and granulated forms. What you want is the effect, not volume, in the non-nutritive sweetener you use.
Because sugar substitutes are of an entirely different chemical nature from true sugar, they should be considered sweeteners only. They will not perform the many other crucial functions that sugar does in many recipes. Of prime importance, standard recipes for jams, jellies, and fruits put in syrups will not work if made with sugar substitutes instead of sugar. For these items, specialized recipes geared to sugar substitutes must be followed.
In the United States, the most common sugar substitutes currently approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesalfame potassium, stevia, sorbitol, and xylitol. The first five are artificially synthesized compounds. Stevia is extracted from an herb. Sorbitol and xylitol occur naturally in some fruits and vegetables but are produced commercially by chemical processes. All are many times sweeter than sugar. Sucralose (brand name Splenda) can be substituted cup for cup for sugar in most canning recipes as its flavor is not altered by heat. Other sugar substitutes should be added to home-canned foods when serving.
Health concerns have been voiced about virtually all sugar substitutes, particularly saccharin, which is 1800 times sweeter than sugar. Saccharin is prohibited as a sweetener in commercial food products in Canada, and home economists in the Dominion recommend strongly against its use in food prepared and served at home. The thorough and highly regarded Canadian studies helped to prompt FDA action against saccharin in the food supply of America. Following a general outcry against the U.S. action, saccharin is used in foods sold commercially, but the products are obliged to carry on their labels this legend: “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.”
Anti-discoloration Treatments
Special treatments are given to the cut surface of certain fruits to prevent oxidizing in the air and turning brown when they are canned, frozen, or dried. Vegetables are treated to prevent discoloration from enzymatic action when they are frozen or dried. Some cured meats may be treated to retard the inevitable loss of their appetizing pink color during storage. Canned shellfish are given a pre-canning treatment to prevent discoloration from the natural sulfur in their flesh. Fatty fish are given a special treatment to forestall some of the oxidation that causes them to turn rancid in the freezer after awhile.
C-enamel, R-enamel, and white enamel tin cans (see Chapter 6) have special linings that prevent naturally sulfury or bright-colored foods from changing color from contact with the metal. If glass jars of red or bright fruits are not stored in the dark or wrapped in paper, the light will bleach the contents. Fruit canned with too much headroom or too little liquid is likely to darken at the top of the jar; for the same reason, keep fruit submerged in its juice or syrup during freezer storage.
Specifically for Fruits
Ascorbic acid is Vitamin C, and volume for volume it is the most effective of the anti-oxidants. It comes in both crystalline form (“Vitamin C powder”) and as tablets. Both are available at most drugstores, most stores that sell whole foods and/or health supplements, and from numerous internet sources. There are about 3000 milligrams of ascorbic acid in 1 teaspoon