Re: [CH] autoclavable hot sauce bottles?

Jim (jim@wildpepper.com)
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:20:14 -0400

> Re:  Wow....  I'm surprised.  I would have thought that this group,  
> more than
> any, would insist on sterilization of hot sauces (vs. trusting a  
> guess of
> the sauce's pH and well-sanitized bottles---I sanitize mine with
> Iodophor, btw---to do the job).


Ummm.... it ain't a 'guess' as to the pH.  We check, and recheck.  And  
yes- most *everyone* in this group depends on the combination of pH  
and hot fill to do the sterilization.  It's been effective for a  
hundred years or so and for several thousand manufacturers ;-)  With a  
pH of 3.1 and a bottling temp in excess of 185F, there isn't anything  
that's going to go wrong.  At WORST (as opposed to wurst ;-) you're  
likely to have some stray fermentation.  That's immediately known when  
you go to open the bottle & get 'champagne'.  Anybody out there know  
of a single case of someone poisoned by hot sauce?  Anyone?  Anyone?

-Jim C
http://www.StepUpforCharity.org