How to make safe uncooked chutney?

Uncooked chutneys are normally made with fresh produce including onions, garlic, ginger, leafy and non leafy vegetables.

The air born microbes, may be deposited on the surface of foods, the tools used to make chutney, and the containers to store chutney. The microbes grow on foods and can be very harmful. We will follow some easy steps that will help us keep Chutney safe and fresh for a few weeks in the refrigerator. The intent is not to make a canned chutney for storage at room temperature, that may need a different process and preservatives.

1. Wash tools including knife and storage containers/lids in soapy water.

2. Prepare vinegar water (1 Tablespoon of white distilled vinegar to 2 cups of warm water). Peel onions, garlic, and ginger. Soak all the vegetables (onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, peppermint leaves, sweet bell peppers, etc) in Vinegar water for 15 minutes. This will kill many of the microbes already deposited or transferred during peeling. You may rinse with clean water to get rid of any left over vinegar taste.

3. Add salt and sugar. Both salt and sugar help preserve foods by not letting microbes multiply. Use 'Pickling Salt' if possible. Iodized salt may discolor or even change the color of some of the ingredients over a few days.

4. Add lime juice. The acid helps kill the microbes. Ideally, you need pH level of the Chutney to be below 4.6. Most of the ingredients in the Chutney have pH level higher than 4.6 including Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Cilantro and Peppermint leaves. Mangoes and some of the Tomatoes have acceptable amount of acid, however, the total acid goes down when alkaline ingredients are added. The following table gives you pH factor of some of the common ingredients. 

pH level of Foods

It is obvious that a simple Chutney of Onions, salt, and Cayenne pepper will spoil easily without adding any acid to it.

Acids also help maintain the natural colors.

5. Store in refrigerator. Microbes grow slower at lower temperature.

6. Use jars with tight fitting lids to reduce exposure to air-born microbes.