have been found on the surface of the “produce.” Therefore, this eliminates the food safety risk from the addition of “cut produce,” or in this case flower petals that may be used fresh from the garden. This means that this specific floral jelly, and likely others as well, would be safe for HBVs to sell.
Apples:
Source: Clemson University Extension
| Apple variety | pH | Apple variety | pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmic | 3.60 | Granny Smith | 3.45 |
| Envy | 3.60 | Honeycrisp | 3.72 |
| Fuji | 3.87 | Macintosh | 3.40 |
| Gala | 3.30 | Pink lady | 3.55 |
| Golden delicious | 3.71 |
Fruit butter/varieties:
Gala apple butter: Purdue University FEMI
| Water activity | pH | Water activity after blending | pH after blending | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested same day as finished |
0.7316 | 3.82 | 0.7493 | 3.76 |
Envy apple butter: Purdue University FEMI
| Water activity | pH | Water activity after blending | pH after blending | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested same day as finished |
0.7067 | 3.98 | 0.7076 | 3.85 |
Conclusion: While there is some variation in apple pH, all produced apple butters and apples tested fell well below the pH threshold of 4.6. However, it is recommended to test apple butters initially, and to retest after any process changes or apple variety alterations.