All fruits can be safely canned or frozen without sugar. Some low and no sugar foods can be canned at home with very good results. Some home canned foods lose color, flavor and texture when canned without the usual sugar and so you may end up with a different canned product than you had hoped for.
Sugar is not needed to prevent spoilage. Process the fruit just as you would if you used a sugar syrup and use the USDA recommended procedures and timetables.
The sugar in jams and jellies helps in the formation of the gel and serves as a preservative as well as adding to the flavor. To make sugarless jams and jellies, always use a commercial sugarless gelatin mixture or special pectin designed for sugar free or lower sugar jams and jellies. Be sure to follow the manufacturers directions. Jams and jellies when canned without sugar will have a softer texture and will not be as crystal clear as jams or jellies made with sugar.
When canning fruits without sugar it is essential that you select fully ripe yet firm fruits of the best quality. When you prepare fruits without sugar use water or unsweetened fruit juice instead of sugar syrup. Remember that the fruit and the fruit juices have natural sugars in them. Dont think that just because fruits are canned without sugar they are calorie free.
Splenda and sugar substitutes like Splenda, that you measure cup for cup, are the only sugar substitutes that you can use in place of sugar for the syrup that is used to cover the fruit in the jars. I have canned with this kind of sugar substitute for years and I I find the taste just as good as when I use sugar.
You may want to stay away from using saccharin and aspartame based sweeteners when canning. Saccharin based sweeteners turn bitter when processed. Aspartame based sweeteners lose their sweetening power during processing. If you can your fruits in water you can add these kinds of sugar substitutes when you serve them.
The sugar added to fruits when canning not only adds flavor but helps the fruit to hold its texture, shape and color. Sugar is not needed to prevent spoilage and that is why water or fruit juice can be substituted for low sugar home-canning. If you are on a special diet or are just watching your calories you may want to try canning without added sugar, it is a good option.
Jeannie Nichols is a food safety educator for Michigan State University Extension. She can be reached at nicho115@msu.edu or 517-439-9301.
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Home canning without sugar - The Hillsdale Daily News
