eli5: why does salsa go bad so quickly?

Question

my ketchup and hot sauce can last forever but salsa gets moldy within a week in the frig.

In: 0

Answer 1

Ketchup and hot sauce contain vinegar, which is a natural preservative. Salsa doesn’t. So salsa spoils before ketchup and hot sauce for the same reason a cucumber spoils before a pickle: fewer preservatives.

Answer 2

Ketchup and hot sauce contain vinegar, which is a natural preservative. Salsa doesn’t. So salsa spoils before ketchup and hot sauce for the same reason a cucumber spoils before a pickle: fewer preservatives.