What should I do if the sour jar turns white?

People will encounter some special situations in their lives, such as the quality change of some food. People should often encounter the situation where white substance appears in food in their lives. In most cases, the food has been left for a long time and has deteriorated. Many people think it is a pity to throw away the food, but they very much hope to keep it. So, what should we do if the sour jar turns white?

First, what should we do if the sour jar turns white? The white color is the accumulation of mold and other bacteria, which is caused by the reproduction of bacteria brought in by cold water, commonly known as bloom. In general, the antibacterial capacity of sauerkraut water is very strong, mainly due to the effects of lactic acid and salt. Lactic acid is produced by the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria in the sauerkraut water, which most people cannot control, while salt is added by humans. Eating sauerkraut will take away salt, so just remember to replenish salt regularly. However, the surface of sauerkraut water is relatively different. As time goes by, the suspended matter in the sauerkraut water increases. A large number of suspended particles are close to the air (containing oxygen) on the surface, similar to small islands in the sea, and are more suitable for the reproduction of bacteria than the internal environment of the water body. After reaching a certain scale, it will become what people call "flowering".

Second, remove the large group of bacteria. Miscellaneous bacteria generally only reproduce on the surface of the water, so they can be scooped out with clean utensils. During the scooping process, the utensils will be contaminated with bacteria. Avoid inserting the utensils into the water and bringing the bacteria into the water body. You should scoop close to the water surface and clean the utensils every time you scoop. After scooping out all the white flowers, continue to scoop out the water on the surface of the water body. Eliminate the remaining bacteria. After the white flowers are no longer visible to the naked eye, the large group of fungi has been almost eliminated. However, there are still many remnants that are invisible to the naked eye and are lingering on. Once there is a suitable living environment, they will quickly reproduce and make a comeback. Since it is invisible to the naked eye, physical methods are of no use. The only way to solve them is to restrict their living environment.

What should we do if the sour jar turns white? One way is to improve the antibacterial capacity of the water. Add an appropriate amount of salt and some strong liquor (it must be strong liquor, above 50%, the higher the better, if it is lower, the sterilization effect will be very low or even useless). The amount of liquor should be based on your own feeling, it should be enough to spread and cover the entire surface of the water, not too much. The second is deoxygenation. Harmful bacteria are almost all aerobic bacteria. As long as the oxygen on the surface of the sauerkraut water is removed, it will be difficult for the bacteria on the surface of the water to survive. How to deoxygenate depends on your actual situation. Deoxidizers are available on the market. Just buy one and find a way to place it in the sauerkraut jar. The folk method is to use iron. Iron is easily oxidized, so putting clean iron blocks directly into the sauerkraut water can remove oxygen. Wrapping iron powder or broken iron and sticking it to the inner top of the sauerkraut jar lid can remove oxygen from the air. However, one disadvantage of using iron is that it will produce rust after absorbing oxygen. Therefore, the practice of throwing iron blocks into water is only used to remove white spots, and they should be taken out after removal. After completing the above steps, seal the container and place it at room temperature for 2-3 days. If the white flowers no longer appear, it means that the remaining bacteria have been completely eliminated. If it continues to appear, it means that the killing of bacteria is not strong enough.