Sokerisäilöntää

Sokerisäilöntää, also known as sugar preservation, is a traditional method of preserving food, particularly fruits, by using high concentrations of sugar. The principle behind this method is osmotic pressure. Sugar draws water out of the food and also out of any microorganisms that might be present, effectively dehydrating them and inhibiting their growth and reproduction. This makes the food inhospitable to spoilage-causing bacteria and yeasts.

Common forms of sugar preservation include jams, jellies, preserves, marmalades, and candied fruits. For jams and jellies, fruit is cooked with sugar until it reaches a thick consistency. The high sugar content, often combined with the natural pectin in the fruit and sometimes added pectin, creates a gel that seals out air and further aids preservation. Marmalades involve cooking citrus fruits with sugar, typically including the peel for a characteristic bitter flavor. Preserves often contain larger pieces of fruit suspended in a sugar syrup. Candied fruits involve simmering fruit in increasingly concentrated sugar syrup until the sugar replaces much of the water content, resulting in a translucent and chewy product.

The effectiveness of sugar preservation depends on the concentration of sugar used. Generally, a sugar concentration of 50% or higher is required for effective preservation. While sugar preservation is effective at preventing microbial spoilage, it significantly alters the taste and texture of the food, making it much sweeter. It also contributes to the caloric content of the preserved food. Historically, before refrigeration and modern canning techniques, sugar preservation was a vital method for extending the shelf life of seasonal produce, especially fruits.