Marmalade that is darker in colour but lower in sugar

Asked on 23 Jan 2017 by rblo

I make Sevile Orange Marmalade every year using Delia's recipe. However mine is always a dark brown colour and not the golden colour shown in her recipe. I like my marmalade bitter so I use much less sugar (4kg for 3kg Oranges) rather than Delia's 2 kg for 1 kg of oranges. Could this be the reason because I probably have to boil for longer to get to the setting.
I don't particularly mind the colour - just interested.
Thanks
rblo

Lindsey, Food Editor replied

Hello rblo,

We haven’t tested it with less sugar so I’m not sure if that is the reason for the darker colour. Certainly the longer it’s cooked, the darker it gets.

If you make sure you squeeze the cooled muslin bag until it feels firm (almost dry) and you can’t get anything else out and whisk all the oozed sticky substance into the marmalade before it reaches a boil it will help you achieve a set more quickly.

Best wishes

Lindsey