ST. LOUIS — The potential of vinegar in product development is becoming more apparent as formulators learn about its role in preserving food, prolonging shelf life and adding a “wow” factor to the flavor of fully-cooked meal solutions.

“Naturally derived, clean label vinegar enhances savory and umami, adds a brightness dimension and further safeguards product from harmful bacteria by implementing a hurdle approach, where days and degrees matter,” said Jason Behrends, founder and president, SavorPoint LLC, Fredericksburg, Texas, during a presentation at the Research Chefs Association’s annual conference held recently in St. Louis. “The tangy, sour taste comes from the acetic acid that vinegar contains, and this taste balances or enhances the other tastes and many flavors.”

Formulators need to find the right balance, so the sour notes are not overpowering. In other words, a little bit goes a long way.

“Vinegar brightens soups and sauces and gives stews more depth,” Behrends said. “It creates an interaction to increase umami in savory dishes. It can even elevate some desserts.”

While vinegar may be the secret ingredient to lift flavor, it has become an important food safety tool for fully cooked perishable meals. Consumers bring these foods home and likely do not heat them to the microbial kill temperature of 165º F prior to eating. The products may also go through temperature abuse while being transported from supermarket or restaurant to home, thereby accelerating the growth of harmful microorganisms.  

“Consumers value convenience in terms of speed, accessibility and availability,” Behrends said. “Food safety is very important in these foods, especially products prepared by sous vide.”

Sous vide, a French term for “under vacuum,” is a cooking technique developed in the early 1970s. Food is vacuum sealed in a specially designed pouch, slow cooked in water at low temperatures until fully cooked and then flash frozen or refrigerated. Many heat-and-eat meals are being prepared and sold this way at retail. The cooking method maintains flavor and a product’s natural juices. It also may serve as a breeding ground for anaerobic spore-forming pathogens such as Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium botulinum. Vinegar ingredients may assist.

“In meat- and poultry-containing meals prepared by sous vide, standard vinegar would shock the protein and cause denaturation,” said Jasdeep Saini, vice president of research and technology, World Technology Ingredients (WTI), Jefferson, Ga. “Vinegar-based ingredient systems can be partially neutralized (buffered) to reduce acidity. They maintain the antimicrobial and flavor-enhancing properties of vinegar. In fact, buffering elevates antimicrobial action.”

Compared to standard vinegar, which is in the pH range of 2.4 to 3.4, buffered vinegar is in the range of 4.0 to 7.0. It is less tart and milder in taste, making it less likely to overpower a food’s flavor. The pH of the buffered vinegar should complement the pH of the food.

Buffered vinegar keeps Listeria and other microorganisms, if present, in the lag growth phase for a longer period of time.

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“Food storage and handling conditions are not always ideal,” Saini said. “There are certain spots in the distribution system that manufacturers have no control of. Vinegar adds an additional food safety hurdle.”

Saini provided the example of buffets, where the food on the bottom of a pan is in an anaerobic environment. Couple that with time and temperature fluctuations, and that’s how buffets have become associated with food poisoning.

Packaged food manufacturers have to consider food safety at both the primary and secondary packaging levels. The former is the time span when a product remains stable, safe and of acceptable quality in its original, unopened packaging under recommended storage conditions. Buffered vinegar comes into play during the latter.

“This is the time span when the food product remains usable or safe after the original packaging has been opened,” Saini said. “Exposure to air, moisture, (environmental) microorganisms and storage temperature conditions come into play.”

The microorganism of greatest concern is Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen that is omnipresent in the environment. Including buffered vinegar keeps Listeria and other microorganisms, if present, in the lag growth phase for a longer period of time. Buffered vinegar ingredients are recognized for their food safety benefits and perception as being natural. A dry version of buffered vinegar systems is almost four times as strong as the liquid, which means usage levels are lower with a dry product. They may be declared on ingredient statements as “vinegar” or “vinegar powder.”

“Look at the data on recent recalls,” said Bob Johnson, vice president-technical business development at WTI. “Products with an antimicrobial (like buffered vinegar) had far less hospitalization than those without. We do have a responsibility as food industry professionals to protect our consumers and protect our brands.”