Thanks Linda Lou,

If its any consolation, the acid blend used is in place of a single acid to increase the acidity of juices before they become wine. A titration instrument is used as the testing method for getting to know the actual acidity of a juice. The acid blend is used to increase acidity and has the same affect as just a single acid type, but as you mentioned, the taste is quite noticable. Taste that is very sour, usually points to an increase in acidity too. I believe we have a few posters here who also use these pH meters and I bet that they would be able to also tell if the acid blend is as acidic (or better) than just citric alone. When I use the blend, I do add a little extra anyway.

Ken, could you repost your source for the blend? I think I have to try it in jams as I've not had great luck and they always taste so blah. Thanks, Lori

Ken may be able to give you a specific online source. I buy mine at a brewing supply store. If you have nearby a hobbyist store for home wine-making, beer, mead, etc. they should offer this acid blend. It's pretty common.

Carol

Yes, its available from a local supplier here who also sells all kinds of brewing and wine making supplies. I usually buy a 1 pound bag of it and add dashes of it to fruit drinks too. I noticed that they also sell lactic acid and tannin as well as the individual acids. They are located in Woburn Ma, and have been around since the early 70's, I know the owner Karen very well..

Here is a link that might be useful: Wine Hobby

Thanks for the link, Ken. Very reasonable price, too. Do you add to taste to the pre-canned jam? Lori

Yes, while its cooking and even beforehand as a juice. If I accidentally put in too much, that can be offset by adding more sweetener. I have it in a shaker bottle and add it in like I would salt (in other foods). Some things don't need the acid boost, like my blueberries which are quite tart on their own.

Today Elizabeth Andress answered my question a bit more indepth about the acid blend and in particular about malic acid. She said that someone had emailed her about it. She said she didn't know if that person was in the audience or not, so I did push the button on the box to tell her that I was. I really appreciated her addressing this question.
She said that when acids are added there is a buffering that takes place. She said different amounts of the other acids would be needed due to the natural resistance of the foods being canned. So, there is no way to safely determine at home how much of the other acids would be needed in place of plain citric acid.
She said that the acid will also change the water activity in canned foods.
This is what I learned or at least made it more clear and seems more indepth, espcecially why some things need more acid when pickling than other foods.
As acid is added to a food the pH decreases (becomes more acid). The speed and amount of pH change depends upon the acid added and the buffering capacity of the food. Most food acids such as citric acid or acetic acid are relatively weak acids. The buffering capacity of a food is its ability to resist changes in pH. Therefore, the amount of acid that must be added to a food to lower the pH is dependent upon the buffering capacity of the food. Foods high in protein such as meats have greater buffering capacity than vegetables. Meat will thus require greater amounts of acid to lower the pH to the same degree. Maturity and varietal differences affect the buffering capacity of vegetables.

So, I did some good information from her.
She seems to be such a kind, down to earth lady. I was so pleased to have been able to see her on the video conference today.

I have some more information to share on other subjects from today.

Made Chorzo sausages and they called for beef, pork and plenty of sweet red pepper. The recipe also calls for vinegar and after small samples of cooking and tasting I found I had added a lot more vinegar to get to a 'distinct' taste. After stuffing and freezing, I tried a cooking up batch a few weeks later. The result was the consistancy of wet sawdust, quite awful as to mouth feel and even though the flavor was unique, the vinegar had broken down the meat so much that only mush was left. Needless to say I have more than 10 pounds of these and will either have to throw them out, or thaw, and mix a few at a time to a big batch of pepperoni that is air dried.

For tomatoes, I still use mostly citric, but for jellies, and adding some flavor enhancer, I still like to add the blend. The other day I had some flat tasting sherbet and sprinkled a little of the blend on the surface while spooning it out into a bowl. It made for a very nice tasting desert, that would have otherwise had me wondering what I was actually eating.