The pH of hummus varies depending on the ingredients and preparation methods, but typically ranges from around 6.2 to 6.5 for plain chickpea hummus without added acids.
Hummus pH is influenced by several factors, notably the addition of acidic ingredients like citric acid or garlic extract.
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Plain Chickpea Hummus: A study in 2022 found the pH of plain chickpea hummus (without garlic extract and citric acid) to be approximately 6.49.
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Effect of Citric Acid: Adding citric acid significantly lowers the pH.
- 0.5% citric acid reduced the pH to about 4.7.
- 1.0% citric acid reduced the pH to approximately 4.1.
- 1.5% citric acid resulted in a pH of roughly 3.7.
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Effect of Garlic Extract: Adding garlic extract slightly reduces the pH. According to the same study, adding 1-3% garlic extract reduced the initial hummus pH values to between 6.2 and 6.3.
Therefore, while the natural pH of hummus is slightly acidic, additives play a crucial role in determining the final pH value.
