This year's home canning season has become a real challenge for Ukrainian housewives. Instead of traditional crunchy cucumbers and quality sauerkraut, many received spoiled preparations with exploded jars, mold, and slimy masses. As an investigation by the program 'Breakfast with 1+1' showed, the reason lies in the mass presence of imported salt on supermarket shelves.
The main culprit of unsuccessful canning was Turkish salt, which contains a barely noticeable additive E536 - potassium ferrocyanide.
Anti-caking agents are added to keep the salt free-flowing and prevent clumping even after long storage. This property, which consumers appreciate for everyday use, becomes fatal for home canning.
The Danger of Using Salt with Potassium Ferrocyanide
When salt with potassium ferrocyanide is added to preserves, it disrupts the natural fermentation processes. Bacteria responsible for proper fermentation cannot function normally. As a result, cucumbers lose their crunch and become soft, cabbage does not ferment properly, turning into a slimy mass, mold appears in the jars, and worst of all - the preserves start to ferment uncontrollably, leading to bulging lids and even exploding jars.
Consumers often comment on the situation post factum: 'It turns out the added 'E'... It can sit with you for a year, two, or three, and nothing, it still flows, and we think, oh my, what a great salt.'
For successful home preparations, experts recommend choosing only natural rock or sea salt without any additives. Preference should be given to coarser salt, which less often contains anti-caking agents.
Ukrainian housewives have discovered problems with home canning due to the use of Turkish salt containing anti-caking agents. These substances disrupt fermentation processes and can lead to spoiled preparations. The recommendation is to use natural types of salt without additives for successful canning.