Jam, jellies & marmalade
Practical Action
Batch Preparation
The basic ingredients needed to make a batch of jam are sugar, pectin, fruit pulp or juice and
acid. As a general rule, equal amounts of fruit and sugar are used to make jam. However, these
ratios can be varied according to the type of fruit used and the customers' requirements. Some
customers prefer a jam with a high fruit content while others like one with a higher sugar content.
The following tables contain examples of basic combinations of fruit and sugar that can be used
with most fruits and a formula to calculate the approximate yield from each recipe.
In general, the maximum amount of fruit that can be used to make a good quality jam is 50%
fruit, with 50% sugar (recipe 1) and the minimum amount of fruit that can be used to make a
good quality jam is 40% (plus 60% sugar) (recipe 3). There are always exceptions to this general
rule. For example, fruits with a high water content such as watermelon use different ratios (see
the recipe later on).
From the examples below, it is evident that by increasing the percentage of sugar in the recipe
(recipe 3) gives a higher total yield of jam for the same amount of fruit. This is a useful tool for
calculating your daily production levels and for determining the technical and financial feasibility
of your business.
Recipe 1. Proportions of ingredients for high quality jam
Recipe 1. fruit:sugar =50:50
Desired Brix in final product =68%
Ingredients
10kg fruit at 10% TSS
10kg sugar
60g pectin (grade 200)
55g citric acid
Total Soluble Solids
Yield = 11.115*100/68 = 16.4 kg
Soluble Solids (SS)
1.000 kg
10.000kg
0.060 kg
0.055 kg
11.115 kg
Recipe 2. Proportions of ingredients for medium quality jam
Recipe 2. fruit:sugar =45:55
Desired Brix in final product =68%
Ingredients
10kg fruit at 10% TSS
2.5 litre water
12.2 kg sugar
65g pectin (grade 200)
60g citric acid
Total Soluble Solids
Yield = 13.325*100/68 = 19.6 kg
Soluble Solids (SS)
1.000 kg
12.200kg
0.065 kg
0.060 kg
13.325 kg
Recipe 3. Proportions of ingredients for lower quality jam
Recipe 3. fruit:sugar =40:60
Desired Brix in final product =68%
Ingredients
10kg fruit at 10% TSS
3.3 litre water
15kg sugar
85g pectin (grade 200)
80g citric acid
Total Soluble Solids
Yield = 16.165*100/68 = 23.8 kg
Soluble Solids (SS)
1.000 kg
15.000kg
0.085 kg
0.080 kg
16.165 kg
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