Why is it important to measure pH in sushi rice?

Measuring the pH of specific foods during the production or cooking process is important to ensure they are bacteria-free and safe for consumption. Sushi rice is a food product that can cause gastrointestinal illness if the pH of the rice isn’t carefully monitored and managed following cooking. Using a digital tester is an ideal way to comply with HACCP, providing the information needed to correctly acidify the rice and keep customers safe from food poisoning. 

Read on to learn more about the pH of sushi rice and why accurate measurement is important:

Why should you measure the pH of sushi rice?

When prepared, rice usually has a pH of around 6.0 - 6.7. To meet health guidelines and comply with HACCP requirements, sushi rice needs to be acidifed appropriately to a pH of less than 4.5, preventing the growth of dangerous bacteria such as Bacillus cereus that can cause gastrointestinal illness. Typically, vinegar is used to acidify the rice and bring it into the required range to prevent bacterial growth.

To meet the Food Standard Agency’s strict requirements for food safety, the accurate measurement of rice both before and after acidification is a requirement, allowing you to provide full records for business operations. Consistently monitoring each batch of rice is key to preventing bacterial growth. Testing also helps to increase the precision of acidification to meet the minimum safe range, reducing the amount of vinegar used in each batch. 

Using a digital tester for accurate measurement allows businesses to fine-tune the amount of vinegar used for food safety purposes, ensuring the food is safe for consumption while maintaining the ability to effectively shape the rice into different sushi products.

How to measure the pH of sushi rice

The steps to measure the pH of sushi rice are straightforward when you use an electronic digital tester such as the HI-981032. This tester for sushi rice and cheese features a food-safe conic-tipped pH electrode, allowing for easy pH measurement in samples of rice, with a clear electronic screen to easily record all pH tests for logging.

The steps to test sushi rice with a pH tester are as follows: 

1. Add vinegar to the rice to acidify and then mix
2. Take a sample of rice to test in a clean container
3. Clean the tip of the pH electrode
4. Insert the pH electrode into the sample of rice and get a reading
5. Record the results of testing
6. If the results are above 4.5, repeat the steps above

Using a handheld digital tester is a convenient way to measure pH with precision, with clear results displayed on a digital screen. Electronic testing provides a more accurate solution to testing strips for pH, which require personal perception to determine results. A digital tester can also be reused multiple times a day for testing, saving costs in busy kitchens and food production environments.

Buy food pH testers from Hanna Instruments

Hanna stocks a wide range of digital pH testers for food, providing an easy and accurate solution for continual testing in kitchens, catering environments and food production. Shop our pH meters range online today to discover testers for a comprehensive array of applications, including chocolate, beer and meat.