Pickling It is believed that cucumbers were first pickled 4500
years ago in Mesopotamia. Cleopatra thought pickled cucumbers made
her beautiful. The armies of Julius Caesar and Napoleon were fed
pickles. During World War II, forty percent of the pickles produced
in the U.S. went to the armed forces. Pickles are still a popular
food, with over 5 million lb (2.27 million kg) consumed daily.
Slide 2
Pickling of plant and animal foods is a relatively old method
of food preservation. It is estimated that the first pickles were
produced over 4,000 years ago using cucumbers native to India. The
ancient Egyptians and Greeks both have written about the use of
pickles for their nutritive value and healing power. Pickles were a
common food during the time of the Roman Empire and they soon
spread throughout Europe. In America, pickles have always been
popular. The first travelers to America kept pickles in large
supply because they were nutritious and did not spoil during the
long journeys. It is interesting to note that Amerigo Vespucci,
America's namesake, was also a pickle salesman. He was the main
pickle supplier to many ships. The first large-scale commercial
production of pickles did not take place until 1820, when Nicholas
Appert began selling pickles in jars. Over the years, the pickle
production process has become more automated, however the basic
pickling methods have changed very little since the technology was
first developed.
Slide 3
Pickles are made by heating food to kill bacteria or make
bacterial spores dormant and then placing the food in vinegar
(which contains acetic acid). Fresh-packed pickles have a shelf
life of many months. Most commercially produced pickles are fresh
packed. Home-made pickles are often made using a simpler, short
brine method in which the pickles are placed in brine just long
enough to draw out water and then canned in hot vinegar. Many
different types of cucumber pickles can be made. Dill and garlic
are the flavorings traditionally used to make sour pickles. Sweet
pickles are not sour at all. Bread and butter pickles are a popular
kind of sweet pickle flavored with onion.
Slide 4
How Does Technology Allow Us To Mass Produce Pickled Foods?
Answers and Pictures from Nash Produce Co. Nashs cucumber
processing facility includes over 70,000 square feet with 2 Backus
12 drop cucumber graders, fresh cucumber crate lines, and a hydro
cooler. Our cucumbers are unloaded from the field trailers with
water and separated according to diameter and length. A
tractor-trailer load of pickling cucumbers can be graded every
fifteen minutes. Nash Produces growers produce a total of
approximately 2,000 acres of pickling cucumbers for the spring and
fall crops. Harvesting is all done by hand with hundreds of pickers
needed. We are gentle with the crop as to ensure quality. For
processing, pickling cucumbers can be separated into twelve grades
and are sold bulk or in forty- two bushel bins. For fresh market
pickling cucumbers are processed and placed in bins according to
size graded a second time. After packing all products are
immediately run through a hydro cooler and shipped or held in our
coolers with high humidity.
Slide 5
The Manufacturing Process Making cucumber pickles can take up
to 42 days depending on the manufacturer's recipe. Production
involves four primary steps including harvesting, preservation,
pasteurization, and final processing. The process is highly
automated once the cucumbers are delivered to the processing
plant.
Slide 6
Harvesting Once harvested by field workers, cucumbers are put
in large bins and transported to a receiving station. If the
cucumbers are transported a long distance, refrigerated trucks are
used. This helps to maintain the fresh appearance and flavor of the
vegetable. At the receiving station, the cucumbers are poured out
onto a conveyor where they are subjected to a cleaning process that
removes the excess stems, blossoms, dirt, and other foreign matter.
This step is important because trace amounts of bacteria on
unwashed cucumbers can ruin the final pickle product. They are then
moved to an inspection station where rotten vegetables are removed
and the rest are separated by size. From here they are moved to a
chiller and stored until they are ready to be used.
Slide 7
Preservation Depending on the manufacturer, conversion of the
cucumber into a pickle can be done in one of three ways including
fermentation, pasteurization, and refrigeration. The first and
oldest method is a process known as fermentation. In this method,
the cucumbers are transferred to large, air tight, fiber-glass or
stainless steel tanks. Some of these containers can hold over
40,000 lb (18,160 kg) of cucumbers. The tanks are filled with a
brine solution, which is made up of water and 10% salt.
Slide 8
It is exposed to very high temperatures for a set amount of
time. This has the effect of killing all of the natural bacteria
that may be present. These sterilized cucumbers can then be further
processed into pickles. This method of production results in
pickles that have a shelf life of only a few months. The third
method is by refrigeration and acidification. These pickles depend
on the cold temperature and vinegar solution to prevent spoilage.
While they are much faster to manufacture, they have a much shorter
shelf life.
Slide 9
Processing and Packaging After the pickles have adequately
fermented, the salt solution is drained. The pickles are then
immersed in water to remove all of the salt they may have acquired
during the cure. From this point, the pickles are moved along a
conveyor to a slicing machine which cuts the pickles to the correct
size depending on the type of product desired. They can be cut into
slices, chips, or can even be diced. Attempts are made to maintain
as clean an environment as possible for the pickles as
contamination by microbes could result in an undesirable
product.
Slide 10
After being cut, the pickles are typically placed in glass jars
although cans, plastic bottles, and pouches have also been used.
The packing machines are designed to deliver the correct amount of
vegetable to each jar. The jars are moved along to a liquid filling
machine, which fills them with the liquor. The pickle liquor
consists of vinegar, salt, and other materials mentioned
previously. This liquor is premixed in a large container prior to
filling. To ensure an adequate distribution of spices, these are
some-times filled into the jars before the liquor. From the filling
machine, the jars are capped and moved along for
pasteurization.
Slide 11
Pasteurization and sealing The problem of spoilage is evident
throughout the pickle making process. Cucumbers can spoil during
the brining process and even during packing if they are exposed to
air for too long. For this reason the pickles are pasteurized. In
order to pasteurize the pickles, they are typically exposed to high
temperatures for an extended period of time. Depending on how long
the pickles are heated, pasteurization can either kill off all of
the acetic acid-tolerant organisms or inactivate all of the enzymes
in the vegetable. In both cases, pasteurization increases the shelf
life of the pickles.
Slide 12
Most pickles are vacuum packed which means the air is removed
from the jar before it is sealed. This helps maintain the pickle
taste and prevents contamination by microorganisms. In order to
vacuum pack the pickles, air in the jar is replaced with steam just
before the cap is sealed. When the steam cools and condenses, it
creates a vacuum, reducing the amount of free oxygen present in the
jar. The vacuum seal is responsible for the familiar pop that is
heard when a jar of pickles is opened. The jars are next moved
along a convey-or to a labeling machine. Labels are automatically
affixed and a freshness date is stamped on the jar. From here the
jars are moved to automatic packing machines which put them in
cardboard boxes. They are transferred to pallets and shipped out to
the local retailers.
Slide 13
The Future Research focusing on improvements in pickle
technology is being done by the various seed companies and
universities. One of the primary areas of interest is the
development of improved pickling cucumbers. Many university groups
are using biotechnology and plant grafting techniques to produce
cucumbers that are larger, more plentiful, and resistant to
microbial and insect-born diseases. New fanring methods
concentrating on obtaining a larger harvest with fewer plants are
also being tested. In addition, pickle manufacturers are also
coming up with new flavors of pickles by varying the composition of
the liquor and using different fermentation organisms.
Slide 14
Slide 15
The Pickle Science and Technology Program in the Department of
Food Science at the University of Arkansas is dedicated to
increasing product value by improving production and quality of
pickled vegetables. The program, which enjoys significant industry
support, includes the annual national evaluation of pickled
vegetable products. Research, technical service and training are
provided to assist suppliers and manufacturers of all types of
acidified and fermented vegetables.
Slide 16
The emphasis of the Program is to apply science-based
principles obtained through research to improve commercial pickled
vegetable production operations and product quality. Experienced
scientists use state-of-the-art research and processing equipment
to address technical challenges facing the pickling industry.
Slide 17
1. Management/disposal of brine: The disposal of waste brine is
expensive and has significant environmental implications. Recycling
of brine could significantly reduce this problem. However,
softening enzymes, particularly polygalacturonase, build up in
pickling brine as the brine is reused. A process using Pure-Flo
B80, developed by the UA Pickle Science and Technology Program is
now widely used by industry to remove these softening enzymes. Work
is underway to develop a continuous brine processing system which
will further improve the efficiency of brine usage. Examples of
issues currently being studied include:
Slide 18
2. Use of waste products: Discarded oversized cucumbers
represent about 15 percent of the cucumbers produced for pickle
manufacturing. Studies are underway focusing on the development of
usable products for these currently unusable cucumbers. Two
volatiles that can be extracted from these cucumbers have been
found to be effective inhibitors of mold, yeast, and some
pathogenic microorganisms. These volatiles have potential for use
in a variety of food and cosmetic products, supplying a market for
these waste cucumbers.
Slide 19
3. Packaging technology: Heat tolerant containers are being
tested for processing pickle products. As a result of this
research, two pickle companies are test marketing sweet pickle
products in different packages. Further research is needed to
improve the composition of container materials, sealing of
containers, and stabilization of flavors.
Slide 20
Pickle Notes After reading the pickle information Collect notes
on page 23 In your student packet
Slide 21
Pickle Experiment Turn to page 24 in your student packet to
plan and conduct an experiment about the effects of the pickling
process.
Slide 22
Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe 25 to 30 medium sized cucumbers
washed and sliced 8 large white onions sliced 1/2 cup salt 3 to 4
trays (1 bag) of ice 5 cups vinegar 5 cups sugar 2 tablespoons
mustard seed 1 teaspoon tumeric 1/2 teaspoon cloves (optional)
Combine cucumber and onion slices with salt and ice. Let stand 3
hours and drain. Combine vinegar, sugar, and spices in large
preserving kettle. Bring to a boil. Add drained cucumbers. Heat
thoroughly, but do not boil. Pack while hot and seal at once.