FAQ
The sizes and weights may vary. Dried Carolina reaper pepper pods can range from 1 to 2 inches in length, over 0.5 to 1.5 inches wide, with a weight of 0.03oz to 0.06oz.
Our Carolina Reaper peppers average 180 fresh peppers per kilogram (2.2 lb.)
Our pepper mash contains 87-90% fresh peppers, 8-11% salt, and 1-3% vinegar.
The retail mash is then heated to stop fermentation activity, which results in a loss of approx 15% of the weight due to water evaporation.
Therefore, approx 180 peppers are in one kilo of retail mash, approx 5 peppers per ounce.
FDA allows us to promote specific shelf life for each specific item.
Your sauce maker / co-packer will know the answer to this question. Once you process food ingredients you are changing the shelf life of the final products by cooking or adding preservatives. Proper storage and handling can also affect the shelf life of the pepper mash and pepper puree.
A pH test is a great indicator of your pepper mash/ pepper puree condition. Taste and smell the product before using it..
Yes, it’s safe to ship our fermented pepper mash and pepper puree. We make the pepper puree/mash and then add 1-2% of natural acetic acid (vinegar). The acetic acid deters/slows the growth of the harmless yeasts and molds that want to grow in warm temperatures. If the fermented pepper mash does develop a “veil’ of these harmless yeasts and molds on top of the pepper mash, you can simply scrape it off the top of the pepper mash and then use the pepper mash. Our unpasteurized fermented pepper mash contains living lactobacilli for fermentation.
Please note that our fermented pepper mash and pepper puree must be further processed, like cooking, or different type of kill step, before using it.
Sourcing and shipping fresh peppers are tedious and difficult to do correctly. Growing fresh peppers takes a lot of capital, time, and know-how. Growing chilis must also be done in the proper climate which simply is not doable for most companies. Handling fresh peppers presents its own set of challenges which require more work than simply using mash or dried ingredients. However, it can be done.
In my 14 years of experience selling capsicum ingredients, I have noticed a difference between companies who work with fresh peppers, and those who switch to our pepper mash or dried peppers. Usually, the companies that are working with fresh peppers stay small and companies buying dried ingredients or mash from us have a significant growth every year. The fact of the matter is that a small company cannot be the grower, sourcing agent, processor, co-packer, and brand manager. It’s 5-6 different departments all in 1. It just can’t work. Fresh peppers present unnecessary challenges to small businesses who want to use chili in their ingredients. For us at Magic Plant Farms, we don’t really care what you will be using but we are offering the option to save you the hassle, time, and risk.
The majority of hot sauce companies do not use fresh peppers. Even Tobasco does not grow their own peppers.
I added the table below to present why using pepper mash or dried peppers is better than using fresh peppers.
Pros and cons for pepper mash vs fresh peppers.
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The answer varied by the pepper variety, as every pepper weighs differently. Approx 180 Carolina Reaper peppers are in 1kg Carolina Reaper pepper mash.
Approx 140 Ghost chili peppers are in 1kg ghost pepper mash.
Approx 100 jalapeno peppers are in 1kg jalapeno pepper mash.
Our Carolina Reaper peppers average 180 fresh peppers per kilogram (2.2 pounds). Our pepper mash contains 87-90% fresh peppers, 8-11% salt, and 1-3% vinegar. The retail mash is then heated to stop fermentation activity, which results in a loss of approx. 15% weight due to water evaporation.
Therefore, approx. 180 peppers are in one kilo of retail mash, approx. 5 peppers per ounce.
When chili pepper pods are too dried, they will break easily. Our pepper pods are in the correct percentage of moisture, which keeps them a bit flexible so they will not break during shipment. In addition, our warehouse determined how to pack each order and if to add bubble wrap or packing peanuts to the carton.
Our pepper mash and pepper puree contain 87-90% fresh peppers, 8-11% salt, and 1-3% vinegar. No preservative added to our chili pepper mash | pepper puree. Our Naturally occurring sulfites occur in many fruits, vegetables, fermented foods as well as fermented pepper mash/pepper puree. As we don’t add sulfites to our pepper mashes, they are not tested for sulfites. In the U.S., FDA labeling regulations do not require finished products to indicate the presence of sulfites in foods unless it has been added specifically as a preservative. Therefore, our retail mash labels say, “may contain sulfites”.
You can estimate the SHU by splitting the mass of the product and mixing it within a ratio.
For example, 24kg of 6mil SHU would need to be added at a 1:6 ratio if your goal is a final product with 1mil SHU.
That is for every 1kg of capsicum you would need to match it with 6kg of soybean oil. So 24kg would in theory make 144kgs of 1 million SHU final product.
I will say that it is challenging to calculate exactly without testing it. Scoville ratings are defined per unit of dry mass, but the comparison of ratings between products having different water content within the solution can mislead those numbers.
For instance, if the solution is soybean oil-based, the spiciness will be slightly dulled by the oil even if it is at 1 million SHU.