I would like to be able to can and then sell my own hot sauce. The hot sauce I make is a low acid meat (ground beef) and tomato based sauce. I had sent it in to get a shelf life expectancy, and was advised the acidity level was too low and the only way I could make the sauce in a way that it was shelf stable was if I used a retort or sold it as a frozen product. Neither of these are options I can consider at this time.
Sauce – How to modify the hot sauce to make it Shelf Stable
aciditycanninghot-saucestorage-lifetime
Related Solutions
If you want to shelf store the cooked legumes in plastic, you need to buy boilable pouches
They are a great space saver, and somewhat environmentally friendly as the oil/energy required to make one glass preserving jar can make 50 to 100 of these bags. And how many preserving jars survive 50 times without breaking!
You will find plenty of sources on the Internet, typical prices $50 to $200 per 1000
The process varies from each bag supplier and vacuum system, but is similar to normal home preserving
If you get the foil lined (light proof) pouches they will preserve food for many years
Example suppliers caspak pacrite
This process is popular in NZ and AU, but as I have just discovered, not so in the USA? So it maybe easier to order from here
The energy, weight, and space saving of plastic pouches is significant
Vinegar and sugar make good preservatives. Provided you use sterilised containers - place them in boiling water for twenty minutes, add the sauce, seal, then boil again for ten minutes - you should be fine. Store the bottles/jars in a cool place out of direct sunlight.
Avoid using oil during preparation, as you run the risk of introducing Botulinium into the mix. This would probably be neutralised by the vinegar, but it really isn't worth the risk.
As always, if the sauce smells or looks suspect when you come to use it, throw it out. Again, it's not worth the risk of food poisoning.
Best Answer
Low acid products must be pressure canned. Products intended for sale must be canned in FDA registered facilities and typically inspected by a state regulator. Many areas still have community canneries with some being FDA registered and state inspected where you can prepare your product with equipment that is well suited to the task. These community canneries have staff on hand who can teach you how to use the equipment and offer pointers while helping you adhere to any applicable regulations. The best way to locate nearby community canneries is to contact your local county extension office or university agricultural extension / food science program.
Edited to add an example of a community cannery: http://www.co.hanover.va.us/works/cannery.htm