Dehydrated lemon peels turned pink in spots - Ask Extension
Hello-Last night I dehydrated some lemon peel to make dried zest. I used fresh lemons purchased at the store. I scrubbed them under running water prio...
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Dehydrated lemon peels turned pink in spots #833591
Asked June 03, 2023, 8:07 PM EDT
Hello-
Last night I dehydrated some lemon peel to make dried zest. I used fresh lemons purchased at the store. I scrubbed them under running water prior to cutting. I trimmed all but a very thin layer of pith away from the peel and avoided any skin with blemishes. I dried for over 6 hours at 135F in my presto dehydrator, which is in good working condition.
There was no pink visible anywhere on the lemon while cutting, and the inner fruit looked normal and the pith was bright white. The dehydrated peels smell great.
What could cause this? Are they safe to consume?
Umatilla County Oregon
Expert Response
Could you attach a picture of the dried lemon peels for reference? Citrus peels are usually dried for 8-12 hours until crisp. You should condition the fruit to check for proper dehydration. To do this, when drying is complete, some pieces will be moister than others due to their size and placement during drying. Conditioning is a process used to evenly distribute
the minimal residual moisture throughout all pieces. This reduces
the chance of spoilage, especially from mold. To condition, place cooled, dried fruit loosely in large plastic or glass containers, about two-thirds full. Lightly cover and store in a warm, dry,
well-ventilated place for four to 10 days. Stir or shake containers daily to separate pieces. If beads of moisture form inside, return food to drying trays for further drying, then repeat the conditioning step. If you don't see any moisture and the fruit was fresh and free of any obvious signs of rot, it could be a chemical reaction from the drying and enzymes and/or sugars in the lemons. In that case, they would be safe to consume. It could also be a discoloration from the temperature. While most fruits are dried at 135 degrees F, lemons are recommended to dry at 125 degrees F for a longer period of time (anywhere from 10-18+ hours).
the minimal residual moisture throughout all pieces. This reduces
the chance of spoilage, especially from mold. To condition, place cooled, dried fruit loosely in large plastic or glass containers, about two-thirds full. Lightly cover and store in a warm, dry,
well-ventilated place for four to 10 days. Stir or shake containers daily to separate pieces. If beads of moisture form inside, return food to drying trays for further drying, then repeat the conditioning step. If you don't see any moisture and the fruit was fresh and free of any obvious signs of rot, it could be a chemical reaction from the drying and enzymes and/or sugars in the lemons. In that case, they would be safe to consume. It could also be a discoloration from the temperature. While most fruits are dried at 135 degrees F, lemons are recommended to dry at 125 degrees F for a longer period of time (anywhere from 10-18+ hours).
Hi Samantha - I tried to attach one and thought I did but was having trouble with the interface. Here’s another. The color rendering isn’t perfect - looks just slightly more fuschia in the pic and more pink in reality.
Good to know about the 125F drying temp for peels. I want them super dry but don’t want to lose any flavor if possible.
When I say 6+ hours, I meant at least 6. I put them in right before bed and turned them off when I woke up so I’m not sure exactly how long but they are very crisp and dry. There’s no flexibility and they snap easily.
I scrubbed the lemons under running water prior to cutting and trimmed off all but a very thin layer of pith. I used clean tools, clean hands, clean dehydrator, the lemons were fresh and fruit inside appeared normal, as did the skins and pith prior to drying. I avoided blemishes in the skin and conditioned them afterwards just in case someone tells me this is ok/safe to use.
A citrus grower told me that they can make lemons come out more pink or more yellow depending on nutrient supplementation while growing but the inner fruit was pale yellow, and skins had no hint of pink prior to drying.
Have you ever seen anything like this before? Could they be safe to use?
Thanks so much for your time! Greatly appreciated!
Brenda
On Jun 7, 2023, at 4:35 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
It does sound like you did everything right and the risk for it being mold or some other food safety issue is low. As long as the color hasn't changed anymore (like grown in size) I would say it was possibly just a reaction in the rind to the heat and would be safe to eat. If the colored areas has grown or changed since dry, you may want to just throw it away.
Thank you so much! It smells great, not off in any way, so I’ll give it a try. I appreciate your time!
On Jun 12, 2023, at 12:07 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
