Question:easy

What should be the pH of fruit, in tomato fruit processing?

Show Hint

Tomato must stay in the high acid food category to be safe for boiling water processing.
  • Less than (<) 4.5 pH
  • Greater than (>) 4.5 pH
  • Equal to (=) 4.5 pH
  • Neutral pH
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Think about food safety rather than the fruit itself. Low acid foods, pH above 4.5, can support Clostridium botulinum spore germination and toxin formation, so they need pressure canning. Tomato products are treated as safe for simple hot water processing precisely because processors keep them in the high acid zone, pH under 4.5, often adding citric acid or lemon juice when a batch is less acidic. A pH equal to or above 4.5, or a neutral pH, would force pressure canning instead, so those three choices are wrong. \[\boxed{pH < 4.5}\]
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