SDSU Extension adds to food safety testing services

By Candy DenOuden

SDSU Extension

Posted 1/16/25

SDSU Extension has added a new food safety testing service that allows canning enthusiasts to make sure their favorite recipes are safe.

Curtis Braun, SDSU Extension food safety field …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

SDSU Extension adds to food safety testing services

Posted

SDSU Extension has added a new food safety testing service that allows canning enthusiasts to make sure their favorite recipes are safe.

Curtis Braun, SDSU Extension food safety field specialist, said he can now test acid or acidified non-evidence-based recipes for canned goods. Braun was part of a team that created the testing process based on scientific evidence and best practices. It is a more intensive process than the other product tests, requiring Braun to make the recipe himself and ensure it follows the 5-log kill-step validation process for food safety.

A non-evidence-based recipe is any recipe that hasn’t been evaluated for time and temperature or tested for its pH balance — in other words, many of the recipes people use at home.

This testing is free to everyone, making it accessible to entrepreneurs and home canners alike.

Braun said providing answers in a timely manner is a priority, and people can expect results in about a week to 10 days.

So far, Braun has tested six products — dill pickles, zucchini relish, rhubarb jam, orange peel syrup, watermelon rind and lilac jelly. Whether people want to sell their products or not, Braun encourages prioritizing safe practices.

“We should really only be using evidence-based recipes,” he said. “SDSU Extension food safety tries to cover just about everything, from making a product safe at home to making a product that is going to be sold and helping you understand the regulatory implications while helping you launch your product.”

Dianne Rider, a master gardener and master food preserver from rural Hazel, submitted a favorite dill pickle recipe she found in a community cookbook. She has no plans to sell her product, but wanted to be sure it is safe to share with others.

“People would ask for the recipe and I would say, ‘Well, it’s not an approved recipe so I’m not comfortable sharing,'" Rider said. “It is wonderful to have an approved recipe to share and be able to gift the finished product with confidence that it is a safe food. Because it’s free of charge, there’s absolutely no reason not to.”

SDSU Extension continues to provide pH testing for canned goods, tests for water activity and free ingredient declaration and nutrition facts panels. Additional services include helping small- and mid-sized food processors write food safety plans and an online, self-paced Cottage Food Law course.

For more information on SDSU Extension’s food safety and testing services, visit the SDSU Extension Food Safety page.