Detailed Explanation of the Processing Technology of Caviar

I. Raw Materials and Equipment

Raw materials: Broad bean chili paste is generally purchased from the market as the main ingredient, with some auxiliary materials added. The auxiliary materials mainly include: vegetable oil, sesame, peanut powder, tomato paste, white sugar, monosodium glutamate (MSG), caviar, etc. Equipment: steam jacketed kettle, high-pressure sterilization kettle, grinder, stainless steel basin, electronic scale, etc.

II. Production Process

1. Process flow: boiling vegetable oil -> raw material paste processing -> addition of auxiliary materials (sesame, peanut powder, tomato paste, caviar) -> mixing and blending -> boiling -> cooling -> filling -> sterilization -> cooling -> inspection -> packaging and warehousing. Among these, the caviar processing flow is: caviar selection -> cleaning -> salting -> draining -> air drying -> storage -> retrieval for use.

2. Key operating points

(1) Select high-quality vegetable oil and boil it to 107°C, then add the raw material paste and auxiliary materials (the sesame in the auxiliary materials should be stir-fried until cooked, and the peanuts should be stir-fried until cooked, then shelled, peeled, and processed into powder before being added to the raw materials) and boil for use.

(2) Caviar raw material: Select complete ovaries with good freshness for producing caviar, and they must undergo shaping treatment; otherwise, the caviar may break or dehydrate and shrink, affecting the value of the finished product.

Shaping treatment is divided into in-vivo shaping and in-vitro shaping. In-vivo shaping refers to treating freshly caught fish with ice and 10-12 Baume saline or 10% saline, a method that both preserves freshness and shortens shaping time. In-vitro shaping refers to removing mature caviar from the fresh fish body and placing it into 8 Baume saline while removing it, soaking for 4 hours, and rinsing after shaping.

(3) Salting: The salting process is also a very important step. The salting time is generally 2-20 minutes, and the salting time should be determined according to the size and quality of the caviar as well as the final salt concentration.

(4) Draining and air drying: After salting, place the caviar on a cool mat to drain and air dry, then collect and store it (frozen preservation) for convenient retrieval during production.

(5) Filling and inspection: Finally, after a series of processing procedures, the semi-finished product is made and filled, then sterilized in a sterilization kettle (sterilization formula: 15-30-15'/110°C), vacuum-packed as the finished product, and stored after cooling and passing inspection.

The above are the basic operations for processing caviar. These were summarized by the author based on practice and are provided only for reference by colleagues in the same field.