Was tracking my sauerkraut pH and got a weird surprise on day 4

I started a new batch of sauerkraut last week and decided to actually track the pH every day instead of just winging it like I usually do. I picked up one of those digital pH meters from Amazon for about 30 bucks and figured I'd see how things really go. So day 1 it was around 6.2, day 2 dropped to 5.1, day 3 it got to 4.3, pretty normal right? Then day 4 it jumped back up to 4.8 and I panicked thinking something was wrong. I read on a fermentation forum that sometimes the good bacteria hit a growth phase where they produce things that temporarily raise pH before it drops again. Never heard that anywhere in any recipe book or video I've watched. Has anyone else seen this happen or was my meter just acting up?

2 comments

2 Comments

finleythomas8h ago

Yeah that calibration thing is key, I had a cheap pH meter once that went nuts reading pickle brine at 7.0. Turns out I was just rinsing it under tap water between readings which is a whole other mistake I learned the hard way. Now I keep a pack of those little calibration powders in my truck next to the leftover concrete test strips from a job site.

thea_carter17h ago

Wait have you tested that meter on anything with a known pH like lemon juice or distilled water? I had a similar freak out when my kimchi pH jumped around day 5 and it turned out the meter needed to be calibrated with the little powder packets they give you. Once I did that everything made way more sense and the readings were steady. The good bacteria growth phase thing is real though Ive seen it happen in my own ferments but not usually that big of a swing. My guess is the meter is fine and you just saw a natural fluctuation before the bacteria settled back into their groove. Keep tracking it for a few more days and I bet it drops back down under 4.0 like normal.