Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600734
10/13/97

BLUESTONE IN PICKLING

     Some  old  pickle recipes call for a  bluestone  to  be
added to the pickling brine to give the pickles a blue-green
color.  Bluestone  is  copper  sulfate  and is also known as
blue vitro.   In earlier days,  pickles were usually made in
metal  pans containing copper.   They turned a bright  blue-
green  as  the copper ions  interacted with the  chlorophyll
molecules  in the pickle.   A similar color was  sought  for
pickles brined in enameled pan or crocks, and it wasn't long
before  copper sulfate,  or bluestone,  was found to do  the
job.   Since  high  levels  of copper can  produce  toxicity
symptoms in humans,  particularly gastrointestinal problems,
the  use  of copper sulfate in pickling should  be  avoided.
Since  its  only  function  is  to  color  the pickles,  the
bluestone  can be simply eliminated from the recipe  without
affecting the overall quality of the final product.         

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