Preservation Techniques for Pickled Vegetables

Pickled vegetables are a common food item in people's daily lives, but due to their high microbial content, they often fail to achieve ideal preservation results. This has led to sales challenges for some businesses, causing significant economic losses and hindering their ability to grow and thrive.

　　Pickled vegetables are a common food item in people's daily lives, but due to their high microbial content, they often fail to achieve ideal preservation results. This has led to sales challenges for some businesses, causing significant economic losses and hindering their ability to grow and thrive.

　　The main quality issues in pickled vegetables are odor, mold growth, and gas production. Adding sodium dehydroacetate can effectively prevent gas formation, mold development, and unpleasant odors. However, since there are often high levels of microbial activity, a single preservative isn’t enough to control all harmful bacteria. Therefore, it’s essential to follow the national standard (GB 2760-2011) and combine sodium dehydroacetate with other approved preservatives—such as sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and sodium diacetate—to achieve optimal preservation results.

　　Various preservatives are prone to reacting in aqueous solutions, which can diminish their effectiveness. Therefore, they must be added separately at different stages of the production process—particularly for sauerkraut, which should only have its preservatives incorporated during packaging, after the fermentation process is complete. This approach ensures that secondary fermentation is effectively inhibited, delivering optimal results.

　　It’s also important to note that preservatives inhibit the growth of bacteria—they do not kill them. For instance, in a workshop setting, if worker hygiene standards aren’t met, bacteria can easily contaminate products, leading to unexpected quality issues. That’s why thorough hygiene control across all aspects is essential to ensure high-quality products that are safe for consumption—and ultimately help your business achieve its desired growth and success!