PRESERVES WITHOUT SUGAR

New Zealand Listener, Volume 18, Issue 450, 6 February 1948, Page 10

PRESERVES WITHOUT SUGAR

_ (Written for "The Listener’ by DR.

MURIEL

BELL

Nutritionist

to the Department of Health)

ANY housewives desire to preserve as much fruit | for winter and spring as ‘their gardens and their supplies of glass jars permit, and yet they may not have the sugar in hand ‘to add at this season of the year. One who had run short of sugar enquired over the telephone whether it were pos‘sible to use saccharine instead. The answer to that is "No"-because if saccharine is boiled with the fruit it loses its sweet taste and becomes bitter. Moreover, it has not the preservative action possessed by sugar. Saccharine may, however, be used at a later date, or the pantry stores may allow the use of sugar later in the year; therefore our ‘problem becomes one of preserving the fruit without sugar. ’ Some fruits preserve quite satisfactorily without sugar, for instance those that have enough acidity, like plums, apricots, gooseberries, blackcurrants, tomatoes. It is even possible to preserve pears and peaches without sugar, but many will not have complete success with these, because their acidity is not as great. There was a wartime method used in Britain by which potassium metabisulphite. (as Campden tablets or solution) was added as a preservative; but there are certain points in its disfavour: it eventually becomes a sulphate in the body; and then, too, fruit like blackcurrants and gooseberries became leathery in the skin unless first cooked before

the preservative is added; and an important drawback is that the flavour and colour do not seem as good. Now that supplies of such acids as citric and tartaric are again available, it is possible to add them to fruit. For example, peaches have only about onethird the amount of acid in them as is present in apricots or plums. If a level teaspoon of citric or ‘tartaric acid is added per pint of the preserves, the acidity should be great enough to ensure that the fruit is properly sterilised when it is processed in the ordinary way, making sure, of course, that the lids of the preserving jars are covered by the boiling water jacket. But you will say that eventually when you serve it more sugar will need to be added to overcome the acid that you have put in. Not if you add calcium carbonate, again about a level teaspoon, to the juice from the fruit, warm till it effervesces, sweeten with sugar, or cool and sweeten with saccharine, pour over the fruit and allow to stand in order that the sweetness will penetrate the fruit. Diabetics have some difficulties about preserving fruit, and this method of using additional acid for preserving fruit, and then adding calcium carbonate and saccharine on serving, will help them also. It is reported that another sweetening agent which was developed in Holland during the war will at some time be available, but we have not yet had any here to try it out. ae ees ee LR