FoodNet

Experimental cookery

1932

Page 129

Presented as published in 1932. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
the boiling period, hydrolysis Is delayed. The following table is from Tarr's results and shows that the decrease In jelly strength was con- siderable when the pectin and acid were boiled before the sugar was added. Commercial pectin. Commercial pectin is on the market in two forms : ( 1 ) the liquid form and (2) the powdered dry pectin. The first type of commercial pectin is a concentrated liquid pectin. It usually contains 4 to 4.5 per cent of pectin. The second form is a mixture of dry powdered pectin and sugar. It is similar to dry gelatin and sugar mixtures on the market In that It contains the sugar, and only the juice needs to be added for making jelly. Wilson states that there is no uniformity In jelly strength TABLE 21 The Effect on Jelly Strength of Boiling the Pectin with Acid Previous To Adding the Sugar (Tarr) Jelly strength, pressure Time of boiling Time of boiling in centimeters of water pectin and acid, minutes pectin, acid and sugar, minutes Top Bottom 0.0 19.4 61.5 79.5 1.0 19.2 58.0 77.5 2.0 19.5 58.5 76.5 3.0 17.2 57.5 73.0 4.0 17.5 55.5 70.5 6.0 13.2 49.5 67.5 8.0 11.0 44.0 62.0 10.0 9.0 41.0 58.5 11.3 6.3 39.5 54.5 12.0 6.3 33.5 49.0 of these pectin preparations but that a dry pectin that will jell about 40 times Its weight of sugar is a practical one. The dry powdered pectin is sold in large quantities to commercial jelly and jam makers. The dry pectin without the added sugar is now available for the housekeeper. Rooker states that the powdered pectins will eventually replace the liquid pectins. This Is because the "powder is cheaper. Is easier to handle, haul, cart, and store. It does not spoil and deteriorate. Powdered apple pectin retains its jellying strength indefinitely while sirup pectins deteriorate if kept any material length of time. A container of powdered pectin may be opened and used as needed, while a container of pectin sirup must be used almost at once or the balance of the opened can will spoil." Rooker gives many uses of pectin in addition to making jelly and jam. Among these are use in emulsions for pharmaceutical purposes, In emul- 160 JELLY sions for tree spraying, in crushed fruits for soda fountains, as "candy doctors," in confections, etc. Myers and Baker after extensive experiments with the jellying proper- ties of pectic substances, recommend that pectin should be bought and sold on a basis of jellying strength. Olsen states that, commercially, pectins are graded on the basis of the amount of sugar they will carry. Thus a 160-grade pectin, as supplied by a definite source, is one which, when used in a jelly containing 65 per cent of sugar by weight with a proper amount of acid in the proportion of one part of pectin to 160 parts of sugar, yields a satisfactory jelly. Olsen has also shown that the strength of a jelly will vary with the temperature to which the pectin is heated. Hence a standardized procedure for testing pectin strength is essential. With the aid of commercial pectin, which the housekeeper can add to fruit juices that are deficient in pectin, jelly and jam can be made from many varieties of fruit. The Role of Acid in Jelly Formation