Establishing a National Center for Home Food Preservation

1
Establishing a National Center for Home Food
Preservation Elizabeth L. Andress1, M. A.
Harrison2, W. L. Kerr2 and J. A.
Harrison1 1Extension Foods and Nutrition, Family
and Consumer Sciences, 208 Hoke Smith Annex,
2Department of Food Science and Technology, The
University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
ABSTRACT   Home food preservation remains an
important and popular cultural activity. The
Cooperative Extension System (CES) and USDA have
long been recognized as credible sources for
science-based recommendations. The last
developmental work on these recommendations was
completed a decade ago. Establishment of a
National Center for Home Food Preservation was
proposed to meet the needs of Extension agents
for offering credible research-based information.
  The objectives of the Center were to update
home canning and freezing guidelines to identify
future research needs and to conduct a needs
assessment for home food preservation programming
in Extension.   Two e-mail surveys were sent to
state CES contacts to (1) identify recent or
current research of relevance to home canning and
freezing recommendations, and (2) have a survey
to county Extension agents forwarded. County
agents were asked to categorize the types of
informational requests received in this program
and to identify topics on which they need
additional information and assistance. Laboratory
studies were conducted to develop home canned
products using tropical produce and falling into
the categories of specialty or condiment foods. A
peer review of proposed USDA recommendations for
home freezing was conducted and incorporated into
a new publication for distribution to the CES and
public.   Extension responses indicate that 45
percent of home food preservation requests are
for canning, 21 percent for freezing and 12-13
percent for pickles and jams/jellies. The most
requested processes are for condiments. Issues
regarding processing equipment and evaluating
recipes were cited by more than 50 percent of
respondents. Product development resulted in
acceptable condiments adequately acidified (pH
less than 3.8) to reduce food safety risks for
home preparation. Peer networking resulted in
identifying needs for additional collaborations
across the CES around home food preservation. The
Center will now include additional mechanisms
(electronic and curricula) for information
dissemination and expansion of laboratory studies
for product development and equipment studies.

• 1999-2001 ACTIVITIES OF THE CENTER
•  
• Product Development
•     Laboratory studies have been conducted to
  add new home canning products to the
  USDA-Extension database of recommendations.
  Original recipes for salsa, chutneys and relishes
  were tested informally for acceptability by a
  variety of faculty and university students. pH
  values, raw weights and household measures as
  well as prepared weights and measures of
  ingredients were recorded. Heat penetration data
  were collected as necessary for process
  determination.
• o    Original salsa, chutney, relish and sauce
  products using mango, hot peppers, jicama and
  tomatillo have been developed to final recipes
  and have heat penetration data under study in
  preparation for release in summer 2001.
• o   Additional products using these same
  ingredients are in recipe development stages, as
  is a lemon curd and fruit syrups.
•     The microbial profiles of selected fresh
  herbs and whole spices used in home preparation
  of salsas, flavored vinegars and oils were
  studied. Effectiveness of wash and chlorine
  treatments were investigated as techniques for
  decreasing the microbial load. The study
  determined that fresh herbs and whole spices have
  significant levels of spoilage and potentially
  pathogenic microorganisms. Consumer intervention
  steps like washing and chlorine dipping decrease
  microbial populations and improve the quality of
  herbs and spices. (See Poster 27, Session 88D,
  TUE PM)
•  
• Survey of State and County Extension Faculty
• A survey of state and county Extension faculty
  was conducted by e-mail in March 2000. Responses
  were received
• from 225 Extension agents representing 24
  states. Extension responses indicate that 45
  percent of home food preservation requests are
  for canning, 21 percent for freezing and 12-13
  percent for pickles and jams/jellies. The most
  requested processes are for condiments. Issues
  regarding processing equipment and evaluating
  recipes were cited by more than 50 percent of
  respondents.
•  
• National Consumer Telephone Survey
• The last major survey of home food preservation
  practices conducted by USDA was carried out in
  1975 (5) a few sporadic reports about canning
  practices have been conducted by others in the 25
  years since that survey (6). A National Family
  Opinion Mail Survey on home canning was conducted
  by the Farnsworth Group in 1996 for Alltrista
  Consumer Products Company (7).
•  

EXPANSION OF THE CENTER The National Center
received additional funding in 2000-2001 and has
additional collaborators and objectives, as a
result of the surveys and advisory committee
comments in the first year.   Current Cooperation
and Institutional Units Involved   The University
of Georgia Lead Institution Department of
Foods and Nutrition Department of Food Science
and Technology Department of Housing and
Consumer Economics   Alabama A M
University Department of Food and Animal
Sciences   University of California-Davis Departm
ent of Food Sciences and Technology   An Advisory
Committee composed of individuals from Auburn
University, Clemson University, Colorado State
University, Cornell University, Kansas State
University, North Carolina State University, and
University of California-Davis, as well as
Alltrista Consumer Products Company and National
Presto Industries, Inc.

• CURRENT CENTER OBJECTIVES
•  
• Review and catalog recent research conducted in
  the public and private sectors on expanded home
  food processing and preservation techniques
• Update the current guidelines for home food
  processing and preservation, incorporating new or
  revised recommendations as appropriate.
• Develop and test new recipes (products) and
  guidelines on home food processing and
  preservation methods that emphasize (a) popular
  consumer specialty foods such as salsas,
  relishes, sauces and chutneys, ethnic foods and
  new varieties of fruits and vegetables (b)
  safety guidelines for processing food in
  community cannery settings and (c) applications
  of updated technology, such as microwave
  blanching for food freezing.
• Establish distribution mechanisms for
  dissemination of guidelines.
• Identify areas where further research in home
  food processing and preservation techniques is
  needed
•  
• CENTER ACTIVITIES ADDED IN 2001-2004
•  
• Literature searches and reviews have been
  expanded to include food drying, pickling and
  fermentation, curing, smoking and long-term
  fresh food storage.
• Additional laboratory studies.
• Challenge studies on questionable preservation
  methods by current food safety recommendations,
  including investigation of botulism hazards
  associated with herb and garlic-flavored oils.

 
 

•  
• BACKGROUND
•  
• The Cooperative Extension System has a long
  history as a credible source for science-based
  home food preservation recommendations.
• Since the late 19th century, USDA has published
  recommendations for home canning processes,
  pickling foods, salting foods and sugar
  concentrates (jams and jelly products).
• Research emphases changed from home canning to
  home freezing with the introduction of the home
  freezer in the 1950s.
• USDA Extension Service never published
  recommendations for home drying of foods, but in
  the 1970s supported the publication from
  University of California Extension on home
  drying, as a good reference. States in other
  parts of the country contributed additional
  research on home drying in their locations.
• The USDA and other federal government agency
  bulletins on curing, salt brining, and preserving
  fish are several decades old and most are out of
  print.
•  
• The last developmental work on USDAs home
  canning and freezing recommendations was
  completed a decade ago, by a USDA Center of
  Excellence in Home Food Preservation established
  at Penn State University.
• The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (1) was
  first published in 1988 and has had minor updates
  in 1989 and 1994.
• A companion Complete Guide to Home Freezing was
  written in the late 1980s to supersede USDAs
  four bulletins on home freezing methods from
  the 1970s and 1980s but has never been
  published.
•  
• Communications among state Extension specialists
  have indicated that the Cooperative Extension
  System still remains an important source of safe
  home food preservation recommendations in the
  U.S. They have also indicated the need for
  national leadership in this area, as many states
  are not replacing specialists with particular
  expertise in home preservation methods.
• The Cornell Cooperative Extension Service
  indicates that Extension agents still do
  workshops for master preservers or hotline
  volunteers as well as consumers conduct programs
  at farmers' markets information is provided
  through telephone and media and that food
  preservation entries are still big at county
  fairs (2). About 34 of the information
  requests filled by Cornell Extension agents
  relate to canning about 26 cover freezing.
• County Extension agents in North Carolina
  report that they answer approximately 250
  questions each per year on food preservation
  (3).
• The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
  Service sells a comprehensive (340 pages) book on
  home canning, freezing, drying, pickling and
  jelly methods (4). The last edition, released in
  late summer 1999, has sold 4,500 copies in 45
  states plus international locations. Over 100
  copies have been sold in each of 13 U.S.
  states. More than 2000 books have been sold to
  state or county Extension offices outside of
  Georgia.

   
REFERENCES   1. Extension Service-USDA. 1994rev.
Complete Guide to Home Canning. Agriculture
Information Bulletin No. 529. CSREES-USDA,
Washington, D.C. 2. Stark, C. 1999. Personal
e-mail communication to E. Andress from Cornell
University Cooperative Extension Service.
March. 3. Fraser, A. 1999. Letter written to E.
Andress from the North Carolina Cooperative
Extension Service. April. 4. (In alphabetical
order) Andress, E. L. and Harrison, J. A. 1999.
So Easy to Preserve, 4th ed. Bulletin 989.
Cooperative Extension Service, The University of
Georgia, Athens, GA. 5. Davis, C. A. and L. Page.
1979. Practices used for home canning of fruits
and vegetables. USDA Home Econ. Research Report,
No.43. 6. Andress, E. L. and Kuhn, G. D. 1983
1998 sl. rev. Critical review of home
preservation literature and current research,
Part I. Final report to ES/USDA.
http//www.fcs.uga.edu/pubs/current/report.html 7.
National Family Opinion Mail Survey, Alltrista
Consumer Products Company, Muncie, Indiana, 1996.
As cited in Getty, V. and Evers, B. 1999.
Electronic Food Rap, Vol. 7(40). Cooperative
Extension Service, Purdue University.

•  
• INITIAL CENTER OBJECTIVES
• Develop new recipes (products) and guidelines
  on home food preservation that emphasize the use
  of nontraditional fruits and vegetables (e.g.,
  tropical and newer varieties to the U.S.) and
  popular consumer specialty foods such as salsas,
  relishes, sauces and chutneys.
•  
• Review recent research conducted in the public
  and private sectors on home food preservation
  techniques, and formulate recommendations for
  their adoption or adaptation based on the
  reviews.
•  
• Identify areas where further research into food
  preservation techniques is needed.
•  
• Finalize the draft USDA Complete Guide to Home
  Freezing to prepare it for publication.
•  
• Update the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
  incorporating new or revised recommendations as
  appropriate.

• Revision of Publications
• The draft Complete Guide to Home Freezing was
  sent to the National Center Advisory Committee
  for peer review in winter and spring 2000. The
  comments received were so extensive that the
  publication content is just being finalized in
  summer 2001.
• One major decision was to remove information on
  microwave blanching recommendations from the
  first edition of the book. It was the area with
  the greatest controversy and concerns by the
  reviewers. These methods are being studied
  further by the National Center at Alabama A M
  University.
• Information on packaging needed significant
  updating
• More information on freezing prepared foods was
  frequently requested
•  
• The Complete Guide to Home Canning will be
  updated when the Freezing Guide is finished.
  Products developed by the Center are being
  prepared for release prior to this via the
  Internet (a National Center website under
  development).

This material is partially funded through the
Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Project Number 00-51110-9762.