Sauerkraut and Pickles Questions and Answers

51.

The pickles known as salt-stock are best described as

A.Cucumbers dried in the sun and then stored in sacks
B.Cucumbers cooked in syrup and sealed into glass jars
C.Fermented cucumbers held in strong brine until required
D.Fresh cucumbers packed straight into spiced vinegar

Answer: C

Correct answer: Fermented cucumbers held in strong brine until required

Salt-stock is an intermediate rather than a product: cucumbers are fermented and then held in brine strong enough to prevent any further microbial activity, so they can be stored for a year or more and finished as demand requires. That is what allows a seasonal crop to supply a year-round market.

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52.

Before salt-stock pickles are finished for sale they must be

A.Fermented for a second time in a stronger brine
B.Dried completely and then rehydrated in syrup
C.Heated until the lactic acid has been driven off
D.Leached in fresh water to remove most of the salt

Answer: D

Correct answer: Leached in fresh water to remove most of the salt

The storage brine is far too salty to eat, so the stock is soaked in changes of fresh water until the salt has fallen to an acceptable level. Only then is it finished - as sour, dill or sweet pickles - by the addition of vinegar, spices or sugar.

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53.

Hollow cucumbers that float in the brine are usually a sign of

A.Bloater damage, with gas trapped inside the fruit
B.Salt that was added at far too low a concentration
C.Fruit that was harvested long before it was ripe
D.Acid that has been produced far too slowly to help

Answer: A

Gas pockets make the fruit buoyant, so floaters are the visible sign of bloating, and cutting one open shows the hollow centre. The remedy lies in controlling carbon dioxide rather than in changing the salt or the harvest date.

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54.

Which measure would best reduce the risk of softened pickles?

A.Leaving the surface of the brine open to the air
B.Removing blossoms and keeping the fruit under the brine
C.Fermenting the tank at as high a temperature as possible
D.Reducing the brine strength to well below one per cent

Answer: B

Softening comes from pectin-degrading enzymes of mould origin, so excluding the moulds and the plant material that carries them addresses the cause directly. Warmth, weak brine and an open surface each make the problem worse.

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55.

Black discolouration in a pickle tank is most often associated with

A.Lactic acid reaching an unusually high concentration
B.The brine being purged too vigorously with nitrogen
C.Growth of organisms that produce hydrogen sulphide
D.Excess calcium chloride added to firm the fruit

Answer: C

Sulphide produced by spoilage organisms reacts with iron to give black deposits, and the problem is associated with poor sanitation or with iron in the water or equipment. Neither the firming agent nor a sound acid fermentation causes it.

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56.

Purging a fermenting cucumber tank with air rather than nitrogen carries the risk that

A.The lactic acid bacteria will be killed outright
B.The salt will precipitate out of the brine
C.The fruit will absorb far too little salt
D.Moulds may grow and soften the fruit

Answer: D

Air removes carbon dioxide just as nitrogen does, but it also supplies oxygen at the surface, and mould growth there brings the pectinolytic enzymes that soften the pickles. Where air purging is used it has to be carefully controlled.

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57.

Which practice most directly reduces the chance of secondary spoilage after fermentation?

A.Keeping the brine acid and the tank free of air
B.Allowing the pH to rise slowly once acid has formed
C.Removing the covering brine as soon as acid appears
D.Warming the tank once fermentation has finished

Answer: A

Secondary spoilage begins when the lactic acid is consumed and the pH climbs, letting clostridia and similar organisms grow. Maintaining the acid and excluding the aerobic organisms that would destroy it prevents the sequence from starting.

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58.

Yeasts in a vegetable fermentation are generally undesirable because they

A.Lower the pH so quickly that the fruit cannot equilibrate
B.Produce gas and may consume the acid at the surface
C.Produce far too much lactic acid for the process
D.Convert the salt into compounds the bacteria cannot use

Answer: B

Correct answer: Produce gas and may consume the acid at the surface

Fermentative yeasts produce carbon dioxide, which causes bloating and hollow cucumbers, while film yeasts at the surface oxidise the lactic acid and raise the pH. Neither contributes anything wanted, and both are controlled by excluding air and maintaining the salt concentration.

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59.

A cucumber fermentation that has stalled with sugar still present is at risk because

A.Sugar reacts with salt to produce an off flavour
B.The fruit cannot absorb brine while sugar remains
C.The residual sugar can support later spoilage organisms
D.The remaining sugar will crystallise inside the fruit

Answer: C

An incomplete fermentation leaves both a higher pH and a food supply, so organisms arriving later have everything they need. A finished fermentation is stable precisely because the sugar has gone and the acid has accumulated.

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60.

Which statement about sauerkraut and cucumber pickles is correct?

A.Both rely on yeasts and free access to the air
B.Sauerkraut uses bacteria while pickles use only moulds
C.Pickles are fermented but sauerkraut is merely salted
D.Both rely on lactic acid bacteria and exclusion of air

Answer: D

The two processes share their principles: salt to select the organisms, submersion to exclude air, and lactic acid bacteria to acidify. The vegetables and the details differ, but the microbiology runs on the same lines.

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