Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600598
10/13/97

### PICKLES

    General
    Information

        There are two classifications of pickles, fermented and

    fresh
    pack.   Fermented pickles (also called brined pickles)

    are
     prepared  by  soaking cucumbers in  brine  for  several

    weeks.
      During this period lactic acid bacteria,  which are

    salt
     tolerant,  produce lactic acid from natural sugars  in

    cucumbers.
     Lactic acid not only preserves  the  pickles but

    also
      imparts  a   characteristic  flavor.   Most  spoilage

    microorganisms
     cannot tolerate the saltiness of  the  brine

    and
    die.   Yeasts,  which require air, grow as a scum on the

    surface
     of  brine.   This scum of yeasts should be  removed

    daily
     because  they  destroy the lactic  acid  produced  by

    bacterial
    fermentation and produce enzymes which break  down

    pectic
     substances  in  the pickles,  making them  soft  and

    mushy.

        Fresh-pack pickles are prepared by soaking cucumbers in

    brine
    for a few hours or overnight,  then draining them  and

    covering
      them   with  a  boiling  hot  pickling   solution

    containing
    vinegar and spices.  They are not fermented.  The

    vinegar,
     which should be 5 percent acetic acid, acts as the

    preservative.
      The  short  brining   procedure  serves  two

    purposes.
      First,  it removes bitter juices present in some

    cucumbers
     and  enhance  the uptake  of  pickling  solution,

    resulting
    in a firmer product.   Too strong a brine shrivels

    the
     cucumbers.   Too weak a brine removes too little water,

    thus
    making possible undue dilution of the pickling solution

    with
    resulting spoilage.

        Processing in a boiling-water canner is recommended for

    both
    fermented and fresh-pack pickles.

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