The foam that forms on the surface of the jam is not so harmless. Health problems will not arise if you eat a little. But this will spoil the taste and appearance of the dessert.
Why skim foam from jam and how to do it correctly?
While the jam is boiling, the lightest microparticles float to the surface, combine with each other and form a foam. It consists of:
- Coagulated protein substances saturated with oxygen bubbles. These components provoke fermentation and jam spoilage;
- Water;
- Sugar microparticles;
- Essential oils.
In addition, the jam foam may contain: small insects or their metabolic products; soil, sand, stems and leaves; microscopic residues contained on the walls of the vessels and in the sugar.
Jam foam is a waste, through its formation the jam is purified. Eating foam isn't dangerous, but it's not healthy either, considering everything it contains. If the foam is left and closed in the jam jar for the winter, the following problems will occur:
- The taste and appearance of homemade jam will deteriorate.
- The fruit will be overcooked, because the foam on the surface of the pot contributes to improper heat exchange;
- The jam and sugar syrup will not be transparent: protein compounds will settle to the bottom and dissolve in the sweet mass;
- The shelf life of the product will be reduced. The oxygen bubbles contained in the foam provoke fermentation, the protein activates the spoilage. After a few months of storage, the jam will change its taste for the worse.
So follow these advices when making your favorite cherry jam, plum jam or quince jam.
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