Packing fermentations in glass a risk?

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Packing fermentations in glass a risk?

Postby fjohnson on Fri May 19, 2017 12:37 am

Hello,

I've seen kimchi being sold in glass jars at health food stores. Isn't there a risk of the jars exploding over time?

I'm asking this question because I'm looking to start selling kimchi and I would like to use glass jars as packaging. My only concern is that someone will buy a jar, leave it on the counter without refrigerating, and come back to find out it has exploded and sent glass shards all over their kitchen. In fact, I'm even a little bit worried that a jar could explode in the refrigerator since fermentation is still active there, even if delayed quite a bit due to the low temperature.

Of course, I would be packing kimchi in the jars once fermentation had died down but I'm still worried about any residual activity occurring in a container that cannot withstand pressure.
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Re: Packing fermentations in glass a risk?

Postby Christopher Weeks on Fri May 19, 2017 7:37 am

Yes, that seems like it has to be a problem.

I'm not sure how commercial fermenters handle that. Maybe really short sell-by dates prevent problems in the market, but how do you reach into the consumer's home and make sure things are safe?

I've bought kimchi with bulging metal lids, too.
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Re: Packing fermentations in glass a risk?

Postby fermentastic on Fri May 19, 2017 8:46 am

I've always assumed that most commercial sellers kill off most of the active critters so that little to no fermentation takes place after. Also, anything that I've ever bought that was sold as having "active cultures" is always refrigerated which probably reduces the risk there.
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Re: Packing fermentations in glass a risk?

Postby CulturedCascadian on Sat Jun 17, 2017 12:14 pm

If you're worried about legal remifications of your product exploding in somebody's kitchen, I'd retain a lawyer as your authority, of course.

But pragmatically, I personally would probably also look to the packaging of fermented foods that are currently on offer commercially -- both for the nature of the packaging itself and the legal verbiage, if any, that it bears.

My local Korean supermarket has many varieties of kimchi that are very much alive and kicking when you buy them. Nearly all of it is packaged in plastic containers.

The smaller portions are in the softer plastic containers that are normally used to package soup to go from Chinese restaurants, and they are bulging out in no time, even in the fridge. This at least minimizes catastrophe in the kitchen since the worst you could experience is a popped-off lid and a little mess to clean up, not a full-on explosion of glass.

The larger batch stuff is likewise in plastic, but rigid plastic jars and caps. Near as I can tell, the solution is that none of it is hermetically sealed. It's sealed tightly, but not 100% airtight, which I would imagine maintains the CO2 level on the surface inside the jar until it's opened the first time. All of it is refrigerated, too, despite the cool air-conditioned ambient temperature of the store.

Interestingly, there is a brand of fermented kirby cuke pickles that I just tried a week ago which is packed in standard glass jars with metal caps. I can't recall whether it was hermetically sealed but I think it was. The brand is Britts, the pickles were refrigerated and still slightly bubbling when bought, and were out of this world. So far as I can see, the label says only to "keep refrigerated."

Good luck with your marketing adventure and let us know how it goes!
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