Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600942
08/03/99
Maintaining Color And Flavor in Canned Food
To maintain good natural color and flavor in stored
canned food, you must:
* Remove oxygen from food tissues and jars.
* Quickly destroy (inactivate) the food enzymes.
* Obtain high jar vacuums and airtight jar seals.
Follow these guidelines to ensure that your canned
foods retain optimum colors and flavors during processing
and storage:
* Use only high-quality foods which are at the
proper maturity and are free of diseases and
bruises.
* Use the hot-pack method, especially with acid
foods to be processed in boiling water.
* Don't unnecessarily expose prepared foods to air.
Can them as soon as possible.
* Fill hot foods into jars and adjust headspace as
specified in recipes.
* Tighten screw bands securely, but if you are
especially strong, not as tightly as possible.
* Process and cool jars.
* Store the jars in a relatively cool, dark place,
preferably between 50 and 70 degrees F.
* Can no more food than you will use within a year.
This information is for educational purposes only. References
to commercial products or trade names does not imply
endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not
mentioned. This information becomes public property upon
publication and may be printed verbatim with credit to MSU
Extension. Reprinting cannot be used to endorse or advertise
a commercial product or company.
This file was generated from data base 01 on 05/29/03.
Data base 01 was last revised on 08/03/99.
For more information about this data base or its contents please contact
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