Why is lemon juice so important?

[supermom]

I'm planning to can some tomato juice in the next few days and everywhere I read, people say to add a few drops of lemmon juice. It's way too little to be about the taste, so why? Is pressure canning tomato sauce without lemon juice all that bad? No, I'm not blonde, but I have limited knowledge of this

 

[Caribou]

If you are doing a water bath canning the acidity is a major factor in food safety. Some tomatoes have enough acid, some don’t. Unless you have the proper tools to test acidity, or even if you do, don’t take the chance. Some things use vinegar or another acid to put the Ph in the proper range.

 

[JarredUp]

I'm planning to can some tomato juice in the next few days and everywhere I read, people say to add a few drops of lemmon juice. It's way too little to be about the taste, so why? Is pressure canning tomato sauce without lemon juice all that bad? No, I'm not blonde, but I have limited knowledge of this

Great question! It's not about the flavor, it's all about safety. Tomatoes sit pretty close to the pH level that can pose a botulism risk, so adding bottled lemon juice raises the acidity to keep things safe. Honestly, even with pressure canning, it's just a wise precaution. I always make sure to include it

 

[cockatiel99]

I've been learning alot from this thread. this is interesting. I'm a beginner and i just learned about this today! thanks!

 

[Abdul Muhamed]

Water bath canning only gets to 212 F. Water boils at that temp, so your canned goods can never get hotter than 212 F. Pressure canning uses pressure to raise the boiling point to 257 F. That temp will kill any pathogen. Most tomatoes' pH is high enough to be safe in waterbath canners, but the experts recommend 2 TBS of lemon juice /qt of tomatoes to be "safe". If you are going to add the lemon juice, a "few drops" isn't enough to lower the pH to a level considered safe by experts.

 

[Master Yi]

I'm planning to can some tomato juice in the next few days and everywhere I read, people say to add a few drops of lemmon juice. It's way too little to be about the taste, so why? Is pressure canning tomato sauce without lemon juice all that bad? No, I'm not blonde, but I have limited knowledge of this

Haha no worries. Anyway, it isn't about taste to be honest. More like an acidity issue here. Tomatoes are kinda in between low and high acid. Lemon juice... I don't know if you need it if you're pressure canning. Just add it to be safe? Better sour than sorry, you know?

 

[supermom]

Thanks for explain, I get the idea behind it, but now I have another question. How do I know how much to put? A few drops isn't quite precise, especially if I work with different sized jars