How long can you leave tomato sauce at room temt?

Depending on the acidity of the tomato sauce, or whether artificial preservatives have been added, tomato sauce can be left out at room temperature (68-72 degrees Fahrenheit) for 2-5 days. Home made tomato sauce is likely to have little to no artificial preservatives, but is preserved by the acidity of the tomatoes, the added salt, and various herbs added. Therefore, in my experience, homemade tomato sauce has not gone bad until the third night, assuming that the tomato sauce was made on the first morning. Store-bought tomato sauce may have ascorbic acid, vinegar and/or other preservatives added that allow the tomato sauce to be left out unopened for an undefined amount of time. When opened, the tomato sauce will not be affected for several days. Several of my friends never refrigerate their store-bought tomato sauce, because they use up the entire bottle within the week. However, if the tomato sauce has been excessively handled or contaminated, it may spoil withing 12 hours.