High Sugar Sauces

IMG_00451.JPG   167.26KB   0 downloadsWe have just started to venture in making high sugar >60% sauces and are running into issues with the sugar crystalising out once cooled down.

We've tried to make sure the sugar is totally melted before packing, added some acid, and chilled slowly but we still have extreme crystalisation after a few weeks and this product has a 3 month shelf life.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions?

Not my area of specialty, but I'm curious what measures you use to verify the solids are fully dissolved in the first place.

That looks like quite an extreme example!
What sugar(s) are you using, and how much? The solubility of sucrose, glucose, and fructose differs.
FWIW, it's fairly common to see liquid sucrose supplied at 67 Brix in ambient IBCs/tankers, with storage at circa 10-20C. Fructose is more soluble, but glucose less so, and you can see crystallisation problems in that more readily.

What acid are you adding, and how much? Just worth some consideration as I've seen acids precipitate out of solution too. It's a well-known issue with tartaric acids for example, to the extent that many grape processors and wine makers force it to happen during processing so it doesn't happen later.

As an easy way to rule out acid precipitation you can taste some of the crystals after rinsing the sauce off them - if they're sweet then it isn't the acid that is crystallising.

What is your storage temperature? Solubility decreases with decreasing temperature, so if these are intended to be chilled rather than ambient then that is more of a challenge.