I'm not sure if I am posting this in the right category. I am trying to figure product compositions as I am new to them since our QC Manager left without teaching me and it is now my job to complete them.
We produce relish and brined vegetables and I can't figure out how to figure the vinegar for product compositions. We ferment our vegetables in tanks and some have a natural acid in them. Do I have to account for the acid in the product or only the vinegar that is added after fermentation? I'm sure this is confusing because it is to me. If I have a recipe and we add 18 pounds of vinegar to a product that has a gross weight of 1800# am I correct that the percent composition would be 1% vinegar in the total product. The product has a natural acid of 0.9 % acid. And we are putting a 0.5 % acetic acid on it. Would I figure the vinegar percent on how much we add to the product or the percent acetic acid that is in the product after the brine is added?
I am starting with a pickle that tests .9% acid. We need a final acid of 0.7%. In 90 gallons of brine we are putting 2 gallons of vinegar in to get a final acetic acid percent of 0.7% So would my product compostiton be the amount of vinegar we are adding to the pickles or the amount in the total product?
Hoping someone can help me understand this.