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I made quick pickles using 3:4 5% vinegar ratio (I know it's often touted as unsafe to use less than 1:1, but I read the 3:4 ratio on an academic resource and I presume it might be safe to go even lower as the brine's pH is still ~2.45 at that ratio [although what matters is if it becomes too neutralized after reacting with an average batch of vegetables, which I have yet to check but the final product still tastes very acidic]) a couple of times, and while they have their own flavor that can work well in some situations, I think I and most people prefer the flavor of lacto-fermented pickles.

So my thought was about using lactic acid instead of vinegar to quickly create a brine that has the right pH with the familiar lacto-flavor. I found a couple of places which sell food-grade lactic acid, but I didn't really find much info from people actually using such a method. What are your thoughts about this?

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  • important questions that will affect the answer: 1) how water-permeable is the vegetable? (can the solution get into the vegetable?) 2) how thick is the vegetable? (how much time will it take for the solution to reach the middle?)
    – pleasePassTheCheese
    Commented Mar 23, 2023 at 15:18
  • @pleasePassTheCheese The vegetables are usually a mix between cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers and cabbage. The cucumbers can be either whole or sliced, but the carrots are cut to strips of about 5mm thickness.
    – TLSO
    Commented Mar 23, 2023 at 16:19
  • I'd just run the experiment :-) I'd expect texture differences--they'll probably be a little more crisp, as the cell walls might not be breached the way they are in regular fermentation. I wouldn't leave out the normal proportion of salt.
    – pleasePassTheCheese
    Commented Mar 23, 2023 at 16:31
  • For the sake of flavor expectations, another experiment would be to go with half vinegar and half the amount of lactic acid you would like to use. Check on the flavor and texture every hour until you get a feel for the right amount of time, then answer your own question here!
    – pleasePassTheCheese
    Commented Mar 23, 2023 at 16:33
  • @pleasePassTheCheese The issue is that there are just a few places I found that sell lactic acid which is supposedly food grade (and still one of them that actually states ingredients mentions Lactic Acid, Calcium Lactate, Silicates. Why the silicates?), and only one is local in some dirty jug (as per the photo on their website). So I'm not sure about ordering this from abroad without solid information. By the way, the standard salt ratio is 2-2.5% by weight of the brine+vegetables, yeah?
    – TLSO
    Commented Mar 23, 2023 at 17:06

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Wondering how your experiment turned out! I've been using lactic acid powder to make a brine for refrigerator pickled cucumbers, that closely mimics the taste and flavor of "new pickles" / "half-sours". For the brine I use 400 grams of water, 16 to 18 grams of pickling salt and 5 to 6 grams of lactic acid powder. I quarter the pickles into spears and put the brine, the pickles, and pickling spices into a mason jar. Let it cook in the acid for 24 hours in the fridge, and your pickles will be ready! I discovered this method here. I highly recommend checking the pH of the brine if you are going to can these for longer than a week.

There is also a 'modernist' technique where you sprinkle the lactic acid directly onto the cucumbers in a bag, and vacuum seal it for an hour if you are in a rush.

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