What is the lowest possible sugar contents in redcurrant jelly?

[katepilar]

I have seen recipes that say 65 - 75 grams of sugar per 100 mililiters of cooked juice. I find my jelly too sweet. I used a mix of white and red currants so that may be why. But I wonder what is the lowest amount of sugar I can use and still make a jelly?
Thanks.

As it's the peptide that makes it set, I'm sure you could just add a small amount of sugar without affecting the jelly setting.

The sugar is the preservative- so if you use less sugar it won’t keep as long.

Morning, @katepilar - we've moved your thread over to Food and Recipes now, as requested. Happy jelly making.

If you cut back the sugar too much it will go mouldy so much faster, I freeze raspberry jam to stop it going off but wouldn't work as well for jelly.

How long do you want it to last? I’ve made a big pot of redcurrant sauce- redcurrants, a squeeze of lemon and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar- which is in the freezer ready for Christmas. I usually add Christmas seasonings- orange zest, cinnamon, clove of similar, but I forgot.

I’ve got a big pot of blackcurrant and redcurrant in the fridge, and I’m having a couple of tablespoons on my cereal each day. Mouth puckeringly tart. Delicious.

I don’t strain to make the jelly. I prefer the texture and nutrition from the whole berry.

According to Google’s AI, white currants have a brix (sugar) of 9.5-12.8 degrees and an acid level of 2.8-3.5 pH. Red currants have a brix of 9-14 degrees and an acid level of 2.86-3.2 pH.

So, my knowledge is in grapes but I would suggest that picking for cooking should be earlier than picking for the table. Fruit starts with a higher acid level that is replaced by sugar as your fruit ripens in the sun. A better acid/sugar ratio gives a better mouthfeel and flavour.

Google also tells me that currants also have enough pectin that your fruit should set without help but if you think it’s still too sweet, squeeze your lemon juice into it but toss in the lemon half as well.

If you are growing them and they are in the ground, just pick earlier. Perhaps three or four days earlier? It would depend on the weather - it’ll to an exact science. If they are in pots, you can play over the next few years having one in the sun and the other in light shade which will slow down the ripening. This means that you will get good sugar levels from whatever is in the sun and good acid from whatever is ripening more slowly.