skip to main content

why does apple sauce separate? (Also tomato juice.)

17 years ago

Some of my jars of applesauce have a separation of clear 'juice' on the bottom or somewhere in the middle. Does anyone know why? When the jars are completely cooled i have tried to shake them up but it doesn't have any long term results. The same thing happens in my jars of tomato juice. Hmmmmm... Why?????!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

zabby17
17 years ago
Trisha,

I haven't had this much with applesauce, but I'm familiar with it for tomato products. I read in a canning book once that this is because of an enzyme that is produced when tomatoes are cut (and hence the innards encounter the air). It said that you can prevent this by starting with a small amount of tomatoes in the pot, bringing to a boil, and then with the rest, cutting them right near the stove and popping them right in the pot as soon as they are cut, before much of the enzyme has a chance to get produced.

I've tried this and it does seem to work.

Don't know if the same thing is going on with apples, but maybe one of the experts here does?

Zabby
nwl_me
17 years ago
I'm not an expert, but when I peel and cut all of the apples before I start to make applesauce, it sometimes separates. If I heat the pot first, and add the apples as I cut them, it doesn't separate. This way makes the sauce lumpy as the apples have not all cooked the same length of time. But my family likes it better that way, anyway.

Good luck.
Related Discussions
Apples: cider, juice, applesauce
Q
Comments (3)
There's only one state that I know of in the US that differentiates between juice and cider. They say juice is filtered clear, cider is cloudy. You don't have to filter to get clear, a little pectic enzyme will clear cider quickly but there's a lot of waste and you are removing some of the healthy stuff (the pectin for one). Europe has the difference between juice and cider as unfermented and fermented. Fermented is "hard cider" in the US. So here it's up to you what you call it. To me "better" for applesauce is a little tart and cooks down easy. My niece likes my Arkansas Black sauce for taste but you could cook them forever and they'd never turn to sauce without a stick blender. She hates tart which is why she started giving me the apples from her old tree. So flavor is in the eye of the beholder. I think any apple that softens readily in storage would be a good candidate for cooking down easily. I've done Cortland (stays white as sauce) and McIntosh and they do good. Yellow Transparent and Lodi are said to be good sauce apples.
...See More
Why is my tomato sauce wangy?
Q
Comments (14)
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I apologize I guess wangy is an Indiana term. My description would be very tart and acidic. I have this problem with my tomato juice and sauce. Would you add sugar to the tomato juice also? I've been looking to see what I am missing and the only thing I have found would be the sugar. Would carrots do the trick? I plan on canning lots of tomato juice this summer and would love to make sauce but I am tired of the results after so much work! What's really bad is I am not a novice at canning or at least I don't think I am. I've been at it for about 10 years. I have a large garden (60 X 100') and grow lots of stuff but was so beat down yesterday about this sauce I feel like not even trying anymore. However, I am obsessed with growing vegetables so this will be short lived. I hope that description helps. Does anyone have a good tomato sauce recipe they would be willing to share?
...See More
Juicing Apples
Q
Comments (7)
Yes, the roma sauce maker is similar to the old squeezo, although yours will be all metal and mine has some plastic parts. I use the screen designed for tomato/apples. The juice that comes through is pretty thick. I don't want pear nectar, which is what I think it would be if I didn't strain it...I want pear juice. I save what is left in the straining bag for making pear sauce. I just didn't make reference to that since the OP stated they weren't making apple sauce. Using the sauce maker makes pretty quick work of things...although I have considered buying a steam juicer. Our first big crop of grapes is coming in now...I've been throwing them in the freezer because I've been busy with some out of town training for work. I have enough grapes in the freezer to juice now. Will try with the grape spiral and screen with the roma sauce maker (another similar brand is victorio), but I don't know whether that is the best method, or if steam juicing will be better. Have to work with what I have for the time being. Jill
...See More
Canned Tomato Juice Separtaion
Q
Comments (17)
Do you have many thousands of dollars to spend on flash processing? They are not cheap and are the most costly device to run and maintain for any canning company. For extracting juice from tomatoes, there are several choices and some are a few hundred dollars or more starting with the Spremy which is motorized with conical screens. Adding a little acid to the juice can allow it to be home canned in quarts, provided its processed long enough. 200 plants yielded me about 60 quarts of sauce, but I did give many tomatoes away too. Depending on the type of plants and how much they produce, you can expect a big variable when it comes to the end result of filled jars. In some areas of the country, there are community kitchens that allow people to home can their produce. In those cases, the canning is done in metal cans sometimes, as opposed to glass jars.
...See More
ksrogers
17 years ago
Shake well before drinking..
Linda_Lou
17 years ago
Why does home canned tomato juice usually separate?

Home canned tomato juice usually separates because it is made by the "cold break" method. The tomatoes are crushed before they are heated through. As soon as they are crushed, enzymes start to break down the pectin that "cements" tomato cells together. Commercially, tomatoes are heated nearly to boiling in a matter of seconds, using equipment not available to consumers. Because the pectin holding tomato cells together remains intact, a thick bodied, homogeneous juice is produced. The best that can be done at home is to heat quartered tomatoes quickly to boiling temperatures while crushing. Make sure the mixture boils constantly and vigorously while you add the remaining tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes after all tomatoes are added, before juicing. If you are not concerned about juice separating, simply slice or quarter tomatoes into a large saucepan. Crush, heat and simmer for 5 minutes before juicing.

Barbara Willenberg, Nutritional Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia.

Related Stories

LIFE Kitchen Traditions: Tomato Season Meets a Family Legacy

By Tiffany Carboni

Somewhere a Sicilian great-great-grandmother is smiling at a bowl of American-made sauce

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Tomatoes

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant tomato seedlings in spring for one of the best tastes of summer, fresh from your backyard

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: Get Juicing

By Tracy Benjamin

Stay hydrated and healthy with these tools and accessories for juicing fruits and vegetables right at home

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Add an Apple Tree to Your Edible Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

Readily available, beautiful and fragrant, apple trees offer four-season interest along with crisp, juicy fruit

FARM YOUR YARD If You Have Room for Only One Fruit Tree ...

Juice up a small garden with one of these easier-care or worth-the-effort fruit trees for a mild climate

KITCHEN DESIGN 16 Scrumptious Eat-In Kitchens and What They Want You to Serve

By Becky Harris

Whether apple-pie cheerful or champagne sophisticated, these eat-in kitchens offer ideas to salivate over

FARM YOUR YARD Houzz Call: Home Farmers, Show Us Your Edible Gardens

By Stacy Briscoe

We want to see where your tomatoes, summer squashes and beautiful berries are growing this summer

KITCHEN APPLIANCES Considering a New Kitchen Gadget? Read This First

By Mitchell Parker

Save money, time and space by learning to separate the helpers from the hassles

TASTEMAKERS Pro Chefs Dish on Kitchens: Michael Symon Shares His Tastes

By KitchenLab Interiors

What does an Iron Chef go for in kitchen layout, appliances and lighting? Find out here

FEEL-GOOD HOME 21 Ways to Waste Less at Home

Whether it's herbs rotting in the fridge or clothes that never get worn, most of us waste too much. Here are ways to make a change

Sponsored

C. David Johnson

Designing Beautiful, Sustainable Homes in Columbus

More Discussions

Canning Boston Baked Beans

2

Help with macaroni and cheese.

78

A bit off-topic....about ceramic plates and spots.

7

What have you put up? 2024 version

18

Ball pints.....

1