Why does a white coating appear on pickled cucumbers and is it possible to eat them?

White plaque on cucumbers - what is it?

This coating has different origins depending on the preparation technology and the composition of the workpiece.

How is it formed

When cucumbers are properly prepared, plaque is safe for health and appears as a result of the activity of lactic acid bacteria . It is formed if vinegar was not added to the preparation, the vegetables were completely covered with brine and were not in contact with air.

A white coating caused by yeast or other harmful bacteria is dangerous. This mold can cause poisoning. If the fruits are infected with the Clostridium botulinum bacterium, their consumption will lead to a serious illness - botulism.

Moldy salted vegetables are identified not only by a white coating, but also by other signs:

unpleasant odor;
softness of the fruit.

Plaque on pickled and lightly salted cucumbers occurs due to mold damage. Lactic acid is formed only in salted vegetables.

Moldy workpieces are disposed of. It is useless to try to wash off the fungus: the vegetables are affected not only from the outside, but also from the inside.

Important! Before salting, vegetables are carefully sorted and washed with running water. One spoiled fruit threatens to spoil the entire contents of the jar.

What is white plaque and why is it dangerous?

Basically, the white coating on canned green fruits is lactic acid bacteria (naturally occurring probiotics). They inhibit the development of pathogenic flora in the intestines and are necessary for the human body to improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics help:

stimulation of gastric juice secretion;
eliminate the causes of constipation and diarrhea;
strengthen the immune system;
increase the resistance of the intestinal mucosa to various irritants;
reduce the level of allergic reactions.

Also, a white coating may indicate spoilage of the product. Namely, like the turbidity of the brine, it can be an indicator of a violation of the preservation technology (air entering the container, lack of brine). In this case, you will notice an unpleasant odor and possibly swelling of the lid.

Along with a spoiled canned food, not beneficial microorganisms enter the body, but aggressive bacteria and putrefactive yeast fungi.

In addition to poisoning, the main harm and danger to humans is caused by cloudy brine and white coating if canned cucumbers contain helminthic fungi. This process can cause a disease such as botulism. This is facilitated by botulinum toxin, which often occurs under anaerobic conditions (without air).

Inattention and a frivolous attitude towards preserving cucumbers can lead to disappointing results. Compliance with the basic rules of preparation will give you the opportunity to eat crispy, tasty and hearty fruits during the cold season.

Very often during preservation a problem arises - the brine in cucumbers becomes cloudy. And many questions immediately arise: what caused the process, how to avoid this in the future, and is it possible to use such a product?

Why did a white coating appear on the cucumbers in the jar?

The white coating on pickles and the bottom of the jar is formed due to the growth of lactic acid bacteria during the fermentation process. If the conservation process was followed correctly, then this is normal. Such cucumbers can be consumed without risk to health. The only thing is that they need to be washed before use.

However, you should not confuse pickled, lightly salted cucumbers with pickled ones. If a product is prepared by pickling, then the formation of a white coating indicates that such a product is unsuitable for food. It needs to be disposed of.

Did you know? Preservation as a method of prolonging the preservation of food suitable for human consumption was invented by the French culinary specialist Nicolas Appert in 1809. His invention replaced the usual methods of long-term storage of food in those years - salting and drying.

Pickled cucumbers that are covered with plaque, if they have become soft and have an unpleasant odor, must also be disposed of. Yeast or other harmful bacteria have penetrated into such a product; it should not be eaten, as this can cause poisoning or cause other harm to health.

Useful tips

Your rolls will certainly turn out to be tasty and healthy if you use the following recommendations for their preparation and storage:

For pickling, you should choose fruits with black pimples.
Those cucumbers that were picked from the garden in the morning are better suited.
Before salting, the greens should be sorted out, discarding those that are damaged, with traces of rot, or with spots on the skin. If these get into the jar, the entire seaming will be ruined.
For preservation, fruits should be sorted by size. It is best to opt for small, thin-skinned ones.
Before preservation, fruits must be thoroughly washed and dried.
If a day has passed since the greens were collected from the garden, then they need to be soaked in water for 3-4 hours to return the required percentage of moisture content to them.
It is necessary to add no more than 6% of the total spices to the pickle.
Storing pickles should be done in a place with a cool temperature, in the absence of humidity and sunlight -
in a basement, cellar, pantry.
Cucumbers prepared using the cold pickling method should only be stored in the refrigerator.
The salting process lasts for about a month. You should not use the rolled product before.

Causes

White coating on pickled cucumbers occurs for the following reasons:

natural fermentation process;
damage by putrefactive bacteria, yeast due to improper preparation of the product or storage.

In the bank

Irregularities in preparation lead to molding of cucumbers in a jar:

improper sterilization of glass containers and lids;
lack of brine, in which it does not completely cover the cucumbers;
poorly washed vegetables;
unsuitable ingredients or incorrect recipe;
air entering the can;
use of varieties grown only for fresh consumption.

Another reason is non-compliance with the storage conditions of the workpieces.

In a barrel

On barrel pickled cucumbers, plaque forms due to:

non-compliance with the recipe;
insufficient amount of brine;
storage without oppression or in unsuitable conditions;
sharp temperature fluctuations.

Causes of white plaque

Before throwing away the preserves, it is worth determining why a white sediment appears in pickled cucumbers. The appearance of a white coating on cucumbers is often a consequence of the fact that important technologies were violated during preparation. The main reasons for this phenomenon are considered to be the following:

poorly washed and peeled vegetables;
improper sterilization of containers and lids;
lack of brine; in the jar it does not completely cover the cucumbers;
use of inappropriate ingredients;
non-compliance with the prescription, violation of dosages;
air entering the jar, lids not tightly closed;
use of unsuitable varieties for pickling;
failure to comply with the rules for storing the finished product.

White coating on cucumbers in a jar is not always a sign of spoiled products

Plaque on cucumbers cooked in a barrel can occur if there is no necessary pressure during storage, or with sudden changes in ambient temperature.

Attention! It is easy to see that in most cases the main reason for the appearance of plaque is non-compliance with the preparation technology.

White plaque is the result of the activity of lactic acid bacteria

How to save pickled cucumbers if a white coating appears on them

If you find a white coating on pickled cucumbers, you should not immediately regret the spoiled product. First you need to determine the nature of this plaque, that is, find out whether it is mold or lactic acid.

The formation of lactic acid during salting is a completely normal process. If you plan to store the cucumbers in brine for some time, it is recommended to rinse them under running water, put them in a clean jar and fill them with fresh brine. If homemade pickling is stored in a large container (barrel), then you can limit yourself to washing only the top row of cucumbers.

To combat white rot when opening a jar of cucumbers, it is recommended to add mustard powder or mustard seeds to the fresh brine. This prevents plaque formation and makes the cucumbers crispier. The brine may become a little cloudy, but this will not affect the taste of the product. For the same purpose, horseradish root is placed in a jar, and the top is covered with horseradish leaves.

Is it possible to eat these cucumbers?

The safety of vegetables with a white coating depends on the nature of its origin.

Is raid dangerous?

The formation of a layer of lactic acid when salting rules are followed is a natural phenomenon caused by fermentation. The fermented product is good for health: natural probiotics inhibit the development of intestinal pathogenic microflora.

Such bacteria have a number of valuable properties:

establish normal bowel function;
stimulate the secretion of gastric juice;
prevent constipation and diarrhea;
help strengthen the immune system;
increase the resistance of the intestinal mucosa to various irritants;
reduce the risk of developing an allergic reaction.

White coating on vegetables caused by improper preparation or storage of the product is hazardous to health.

Important! A swollen jar lid is another sign of a damaged product.

When eating cucumbers with a layer of mold, pathogenic microorganisms enter the body, which causes poisoning or botulism.

When can cucumbers be saved?

To get rid of the layer of lactic acid, the vegetables are washed under running water, placed in a clean glass container and filled with newly prepared brine. This will extend the shelf life of the product.

Reference! If cucumbers are stored in a barrel, it is enough to remove the top row.

In an already opened jar, the fruits are poured with fresh brine with the addition of mustard powder or mustard seeds. This will not only protect against mold formation, but will also make the cucumbers crispier. Instead of mustard, horseradish root is suitable, which is placed in a jar. The contents of the container are covered with horseradish leaves.

When should a product be thrown away?

Pickles affected by mold, with cloudy and unpleasant-smelling brine and soft fruits that fall apart in the hands, are disposed of.

How to pickle correctly

To prevent cucumbers from becoming covered with a white coating, special attention is paid to sterilizing the jar with a lid and selecting unspoiled fruits.

Sterilization of jars and lids

To prevent canned food from spoiling during storage and vegetables becoming covered with a white coating, it is important to properly sterilize the containers.

They do this with:

pair;
boiling;
electric furnaces;
microwaves;
potassium permanganate.

The jars and lids are first checked for integrity. Containers must be free of chips and lids must not be deformed.

Important! The containers are thoroughly washed with baking soda or laundry soap.

For steam sterilization, take a pan of boiling water and a special grid for jars, which is installed above the pan. The container is placed in the device with the neck down and held until large drops of moisture appear. Seaming lids are placed in boiling water. Place vegetables in the jar only after it is completely dry.

When boiling, the container is placed in a large container so that cold water completely covers it. The liquid is heated gradually so that the jars do not burst due to a sudden temperature change. Sterilize the vessels 5 minutes after the water boils.

Several cans are placed in the oven (electric oven) at the same time. They are placed with the neck down for 12 minutes at a temperature of +120°C.

One three-liter jar or several half-liter jars are sterilized in a microwave oven. A small amount of water (1.5–2 cm) is poured into each. The power is set at 800 kW. Sterilization lasts 3 minutes.

In a simpler version, clean glass containers are rinsed with a pink solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect the inside.

Storage

Optimal conditions for workpieces: temperature - no higher than +4°C, air humidity - 80–90%. The cellar is good.

Reference! Pickles are also stored in tightly closed jars in the apartment.

Vegetables removed from the jar of brine are kept in the freezer. Excess moisture is first removed and the fruits are packaged in small portions in plastic bags. Such cucumbers are subjected to heat treatment before consumption. They are used for pickle soup and pizza.

To increase shelf life, barrel fruits are stored in the basement. The ideal temperature regime for them is 0...-1°C.

Storage nuances:

pour enough brine so that it completely covers the fruit;
cucumbers are kept under pressure;
do not allow temperature changes in the room.

What to do with cucumbers in a jar if they are covered with a white coating?

To save seams, it is very important to determine what bacteria have settled in the brine - beneficial or harmful.

If neither the density, nor the color and smell have changed, then they should be removed from the brine and washed well, placed in a clean jar, filled with new brine and placed in the refrigerator.

If green fruits are stored in a large barrel, then only the top layer of green fruits needs to be washed.

In the initial stage of plaque formation, after opening, you can add either powder or mustard seeds or horseradish root to the brine. This procedure will prevent the growth of bacteria and will also make them crispier.

Preventing the formation of white plaque on cucumbers in a jar

As mentioned above, it may be normal for pickles to develop plaque. By following the rules of preservation and storage, the unsafe white coating of fruits can be prevented.

Important! Before sterilization, glass containers should be washed thoroughly with soap or baking soda.

Both sterilization and selection of quality fruits require special attention.

Sterilization is carried out by:

boiling;
steam treatment;
treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Sterilization of lids and jars occurs on the stove, in the oven or in the microwave.

For steam sterilization you need:

Boil water in a saucepan.
Place a colander on it.
Place the selected containers, neck down, in a colander.
Place the lids into boiling water.

When sterilizing by boiling, the jars must be placed in a pan so that they are completely covered with water. The fire is turned on only after all the containers are in the pan and covered with water. They must remain in the water for at least 5 minutes after boiling.

Photo: https://receptisalatov.com/content/recipes/275/7.jpg

In the oven for disinfection, the containers are placed on a baking sheet with their bottoms down. The procedure should last at least 12 minutes at a temperature of 120°.

The most convenient way to sterilize is in the microwave:

The containers are filled with water to about 1.5-2 cm.
The microwave is turned on at a power of 700-800 W.
After 3 minutes, the jars are ready for use.

Important! After sterilization is completed, jars and lids must be completely dried, since fruits cannot be placed in wet containers.

To avoid the appearance of a white coating, the brine in the container must be poured to the very top and everything must be carefully sealed.

Useful tips

Your rolls will definitely turn out very tasty and healthy if you follow the recommendations below:

Fruits with black pimples are an ideal choice for pickling.
Those cucumbers that were picked in the morning are considered more suitable.
Before salting, you need to sort out the greens - discard those that have damage, signs of rot, or any stains. If they get into the jar, the whole seal will be ruined.
Fruits for preservation must be sorted by size. The best cucumbers are small in size and have thin skin.
The fruits must be thoroughly washed and dried.
If one day has already passed since the harvest of greens from the garden, then they should be soaked in water for 3-4 hours so that lost moisture returns to them.
The percentage of spices in pickles should be no more than 6% of the total mass.
Pickles should be stored in a place where the temperature is cool, away from sunlight and humidity. This could be a cellar, basement or storage room.
If they are prepared by cold salting, then they need to be stored only in a refrigerator.
Salting usually lasts 1 month. Before this period expires, the rolled product should not be consumed.

Thus, on salted greens (including after cold salting), a white coating, while they retain their dense structure and good smell, is considered the norm.

Next, we recommend watching a video that talks about why cucumbers in a jar become cloudy white, and what to do with them in this case:

Lightly salted or pickled cucumbers with plaque should be discarded. To avoid such a problem, it is necessary to strictly follow all the rules for their conservation.

Useful tips

To prevent moldy vegetables, follow some subtleties:

not only mustard powder is poured into the jar, but mustard plaster is also dipped into it;
Black peppercorns are added to the brine.

At temperatures above +1°C, the development of bacteria accelerates, and the fruits themselves deteriorate faster.

To extend the shelf life of barrel cucumbers in an apartment, they are washed, dried, placed in a food container, sprinkling each layer with mustard powder.

Prevention and useful tips

Take note of important recommendations that will help you avoid such a problem as cloudy brine in cucumbers:

Be careful not to overfill the spinning container, as the water may become cloudy during fermentation due to lack of space, and the lids may explode or swell.
The presence of cucumbers in the same jar with bell peppers and tomatoes can eliminate the turbidity of the solution; It is also useful to add horseradish root or hot pepper.
Instead of 9% vinegar for preservation, it is better to take 70% essence at the rate of 1 tsp. for 3 liters of marinade, and some housewives use mustard - 1 tbsp. l. for 3 l.
After placing vegetables and spices in containers, first pour boiling water over them twice, and only the third time with marinade or brine. This will significantly reduce the risk of lactic fermentation.
Before sterilizing, wash the jars with soda and rinse thoroughly, and then dry. Sterilize dishes, including lids, thoroughly.
Spoons for placing cucumbers and other equipment should also be clean.

Before pickling, place the cucumbers in cold water for 10-12 hours. This will help remove nitrates and increase the crunchiness of the vegetable.

After seaming, turn the workpiece upside down (this will help detect leaky jars) and insulate it with a blanket (this will ensure slow cooling, which will serve as additional heat treatment).

If you find cloudy jars of pickled or pickled cucumbers among your preparations, do not rush to eat them. There is no need to risk your health - if there is even a slight doubt that the vegetables are not contaminated, throw away such preserves without hesitation.

Save so you don't lose!

Source

A jar of cucumbers exploded, what should I do? How to save exploding cucumbers?

Many housewives are interested in the question: what to do if jars of cucumbers burst, is it then possible to save the preservation? Broken canned food can be used if you process the vegetables again. However, before resuscitating the spin, you need to make sure that the cucumbers have not yet begun to ferment.

Open the canned food and try the cucumbers. If they are not sour and you don’t smell fermentation, you don’t have to throw them away, but cook them again. Otherwise, you need to throw away the canned food. Eating fermented cucumbers can lead to food poisoning.

Important! To prevent the preservation from exploding again, you can close the tomatoes with cucumbers.

To re-process canned cucumbers you need:

Rinse the cucumbers in cold running water.
Place them in clean cold water for a quarter of an hour.
Drain the remaining brine and digest.
Wash the jars thoroughly and sterilize.
Fill the containers with the prepared brine, cover with a lid, and leave for 15 minutes.
When the specified time has passed, pour the brine into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Refill the jars with hot brine.
At the end, add vinegar at the rate of one teaspoon per three liters.
Roll up the jar again and place it neck down on a towel.
Wrap the preserved food in a blanket and leave to cool.

Cucumbers processed in this way taste like pickled vegetables, not pickled ones.

There is another method by which you can save exploding cucumbers.

To do this you need to follow the following recipe:

Wash the cucumbers in cold water and place in a clean, sterilized container.
Pour heated water to +100°C, leave for 15 minutes.
When the required time has passed, drain the water and add half of all the ingredients indicated in the original recipe.
Bring to +100°C.
Pour brine over cucumbers.
Grind two aspirin tablets, this amount is enough for a three-liter jar, add the powder to the container.
Roll up with sterilized lids.
Turn the jar upside down and cover it with a blanket.

This method will avoid spoilage of the preserved food due to the disinfecting properties of aspirin.
Read in more detail what to do if a jar of cucumbers explodes.

Ways to prevent the appearance of “suspicious” sediment

There are not many of them, but they exist. Firstly, it is a thorough processing of vegetables before preservation: removing tails, damaged areas, cleaning from dirt (many experienced housewives soak cucumbers for several hours before pickling, then rinse thoroughly again).

Secondly, these are clean jars washed with soda without traces of food, debris, detergents, as well as new (not reused!) sealing lids without damage, deformation, with rubber bands in good condition. This category also includes the absence of visible and tangible damage to the neck of the glass container, cracks, chips, and casting defects.

Thirdly, scrupulous adherence to the recipe: if the compiler recommends boiling the solution for 10 minutes and adding vinegar, then that’s what you need to do. You should only use proven recipes that are guaranteed not to cause food poisoning or worse.

Fourthly, pickling, as a method of preservation, is more effective than simply pickling cucumbers: if the technology is strictly followed, even an inexperienced housewife has a better chance of avoiding mistakes in this case.

And fifthly, do not skimp on your health: use only fresh vegetables, quality ingredients, follow advice from trusted sources. Then you are definitely not in danger, and among your winter supplies there will always be crispy, tasty, strong pickles.

Why does a white coating form on pickled cucumbers and is it dangerous?

The reason for the formation of mold can be: lack of tightness, poorly sterilized containers and lids, and failure to comply with the proportions in the recipe. And even “wrong” cucumbers.

Of course, moldy, sour cucumbers cannot be eaten! Their taste and smell are unpleasant, they become soft and unsuitable for consumption. The appearance of mold and cloudy brine means that bacteria have entered the workpiece and have begun to multiply. Such cucumbers must be thrown away; you should not risk your health.

How to properly sterilize jars and lids before screwing

Improper sterilization leads to spoiled workpieces.

All components and ingredients must be clean so that microorganisms do not get into the preparation for the winter:

Check jars and lids for chips and scratches.
Prepare all ingredients thoroughly.
Sterilization time depends on the size of the container: 1–2 liter jars are exposed to steam for 10–15 minutes. A three-liter bottle takes 20–25 minutes.
Allow sterilized jars and lids to dry.

Causes of brine cloudiness

The brine becomes cloudy for a reason. This indicates a violation of the cooking process. There can be many reasons:

Dirt. Each fruit, spices and jars must be thoroughly washed. A poorly washed product or the container itself causes the development of putrefactive processes.
Improper sterilization. The jar is ready for use only when drops of evaporation appear on its bottom.
Sea or iodized salt. These salts contain components that promote turbidity.
Violation of the tightness of the container. Which is a consequence of poor-quality lids and chips on the neck. In addition, the lids must be rolled up especially tightly so that not a single microorganism can penetrate the container.
Not a quality preserved product. Presence of chemicals and harmful substances.
Wrong recipe. For example, the absence of vinegar or acid.
Improper storage of the product. It should be carried out in rooms with a temperature of no more than 7 degrees.

Mistakes when growing cucumbers

The quality of preservation is affected by the presentation of cucumbers. A good harvest from your own garden or purchased at the market is suitable for tasty pickling.

Improper watering

Cucumbers love water; plantings need to be watered often, especially in dry years. Lack of moisture affects the appearance and taste of vegetables. Fruits that are poorly watered will be bitter and empty inside. In jars, such a harvest will be soft and wrinkled.

Note! During the period of abundant fruiting, cucumber beds are watered every day. The water must be warm, otherwise the bush will become stressed and stop growing.

Incorrect feeding

To get a rich and tasty harvest, they take care of the quality of the soil. The land for cucumber crops must have a high degree of fertility. Before planting, apply organic fertilizers in the form of manure or humus. During the growing season, the bushes are fertilized with mineral fertilizers every week. During the period of active fruiting, nitrogen fertilizing is reduced, as it provokes hollowness in vegetables.

Important! It is necessary to add not only nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers to the soil, but also minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, molybdenum, boron, and zinc. Useful elements are needed to form tasty fruits with high commercial quality.

Soil problems

Cucumber plants require neutral acidic soil. Vegetables grow better in clay soils. At the same time, the soil must be constantly loosened to ensure oxygen access to the roots and favorable development of the shrub. The heavy and acidic composition is diluted with sand, ash, and dolomite flour. The depleted substrate is enriched with organic matter.