Colour is important, in hot sauce anyway. Because we don’t use any synthetic additives or ingredients that aren’t derived from food and meant for consumption, we wanted to create a hot sauce that is colourful and safely shelf stable. We go beyond to create a safe product, like constant and diligent sanitization, making sure pH levels are in very safe thresholds, and aging product just to giving them to a lab to have them tested for possible bacteria growth, just to name a few key points. It’s not that we adhere to our own litmus tests, but the industry as a whole. Policing ourselves would be stupid and counter productive, but maintaining the standards of bigger and better companies is the safest approach. Let’s face it, we’re a risky dink operation. But, although small, we’re big on safely getting a good product made to be enjoyed by anyone who loves hot sauce and hot peppers in general. But, I digress. Colour, yes, that was my point. Any time the sauce is blended or transferred from one vessel to the next, it gets hit with oxygen, which in turn strips a tasty sauce of its colour. A while ago, while adjusting ways to drop pH without using too much vinegar, I thought back on my early days learning about naturally preserving food, which is an artform that is quickly being lost. I remembered learning about the math of figuring out citric acid volume to adjust acidity and extend shelf life and maintain colour. It’s always a good moment to surpass a hurdle and achieve a win.
Colour bind
