It would be good to preserve vitamins in vegetables and fruits for homemade preparations, and it does not interfere with getting rid of microorganisms on the same fruits and vegetables. How to chase two birds with one stone and catch both?
Almost 350 years have passed since the time of the Dutchman Anthony van Leeuwenhoek, who built a microscope and was the first to see microorganisms with it. But until now, few people think that he himself and everything around him is literally littered with bacteria and microscopic fungi. Even if the microbes are not visible without a good magnifying device, they are still alive, which means they do the same thing as everyone else: they multiply, eat, breathe, excrete waste products … Even if bacteria or fungi that are ingested are not dangerous to humans, they still spoil the taste and smell of the workpieces. One of the few exceptions is alcoholic beverages, which are obtained precisely due to the vital activity of yeast. However, you are unlikely to get exquisite alcohol from a jar of cucumbers or raspberry jam. Stinky mold, however, is easy.
Strict selection
Even before canning, you should carefully examine what you will be making the blanks from. If the fruit is damaged in any way, it should not be used. It is most likely already affected by fungi, which disrupt the defense mechanisms of the plant and change the acidity of the environment. This creates favorable conditions for the development of bacteria, which will continue to spoil the vegetable already in your jar.
Special conditions
Like all living things, microorganisms react to their environment. In favorable conditions, they thrive, in unfavorable ones - even if they do not die, they stop multiplying. In particular, bacteria and fungi do not feel well at low temperatures and in dry conditions, so it is worth storing raw materials in such conditions. The main thing in the canning process is heat treatment. Even before boiling, at 0-70 ° C, yeast and other fungi, as well as their spores, die. Bacteria can tolerate heat better, and some species only die at temperatures above 100 ° C. To sterilize cans, you need to hold them in an oven or double boiler for at least 15 minutes. The workpieces themselves are recommended to be boiled or at least scalded with boiling water. In an acidic environment, microorganisms and their spores die under the influence of temperature faster than in a neutral one. Therefore, vinegar and citric acid are natural preservatives.
Capricious ascorbic
Unlike many other vitamins, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is found primarily in plant foods, not animal foods. It is not very difficult to save it in blanks if you know how and why it collapses. The fruits contain not only ascorbic acid, but also an enzyme that converts it into an unstable form. It works best at a temperature of about 50-60 ° C. This means that most vitamin C degradation occurs when vegetables are gently heated during cooking. But if you throw them immediately into boiling water, then almost all vitamin C can be saved, because at such a high temperature the enzyme will no longer work. Another enemy of vitamin C is oxygen. It attaches to the ascorbic acid molecule, oxidizes it and transforms it into an unstable form. Other oxidants found in tap water (such as fluorine and chlorine) do much the same. Therefore, it is better to put the fruits in water, which has been boiling for several minutes: fewer oxidizing gases are dissolved in it.
