GIFSQ Tools · Module 09 — Fruits, Vegetables, Beverages & Plant Foods · Tool 169 of 500
Salt for vegetable fermentation. Enter the vegetables and brine water, with a target salt level, to get the salt to add and the salt % of the finished ferment.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
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Salt to add (g)
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Salt in ferment (%)
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Total ferment (kg)
Equation: Salt needed = target % ÷ 100 × (vegetables + water) ÷ (1 − target % ÷ 100). Salt % = salt ÷ (vegetables + water + salt) × 100.
Method: Salt mass balance for lactic-acid vegetable fermentation, Codex CXS 260 (pickled fruits and vegetables); 1.8–2.5 % salt is the usual fermentation guide.
Assumptions: Salt % is calculated on the total weight of vegetables, water and salt; all salt dissolves in the brine.
Limitations: Salt level alone does not guarantee a safe ferment — temperature, time, acidity and hygiene matter too.
Rounding: Salt mass to 2 decimal places; salt % to 2 decimal places. Intermediate values are not rounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Salt mass balance for lactic-acid vegetable fermentation, Codex CXS 260 (pickled fruits and vegetables); 1.8–2.5 % salt is the usual fermentation guide.
Assumptions: Salt % is calculated on the total weight of vegetables, water and salt; all salt dissolves in the brine.
Limitations: Salt level alone does not guarantee a safe ferment — temperature, time, acidity and hygiene matter too.
Rounding: Salt mass to 2 decimal places; salt % to 2 decimal places. Intermediate values are not rounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: 5 kg cabbage, 5 kg water, target 2 % salt. Salt needed = 0.02 × 10,000 ÷ 0.98 = 204.08 g.
Enter values above to see results.
Most vegetable ferments aim for 1.8–2.5 % salt by total weight. Weigh the salt — do not measure it by volume. Tool 169 of 500 — GIFSQ
