Processing Method and Technique for Canned Apricots in Syrup

(1) Process flow

Raw material selection → raw material preparation → color protection → lye peeling → trimming → pre-cooking → sorting → filling into cans → syrup filling → heating and exhausting → sealing and sterilization → cooling → wiping cans → finished product.

(2) Key process points

1. Raw material selection: Select fresh, plump apricots with yellow, dense flesh that are freestone or semi-freestone. Remove insect-damaged, diseased and damaged fruit. The transverse diameter of the apricots must be over 30 mm and the weight over 20 g.

2. Raw material preparation: After washing the qualified apricots clean, soak them in 0.5-1.5% hydrochloric acid or 0.1% potassium permanganate solution at room temperature for a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove residual pesticides from the fruit surface. Then cut them in half along the suture groove and remove the pit and stem.

3. Color protection: Place the halved apricots in a 1-2% salt solution for color protection. Adding 0.2% citric acid or 0.1% alum solution to the salt solution gives a better color-protecting effect.

4. Lye peeling: Prepare a 10% concentration sodium hydroxide solution and heat it to about 98°C, then pour in the apricots and soak for 30-60 seconds, turning them appropriately so they are evenly exposed to the alkali. When the apricot skin corrodes and changes color, quickly remove them and rinse to remove the skin, wash off the lye, then place them in running water to rinse.

5. Trimming: Trim the fruit and pit cavity neatly and remove all residual skin.

6. Pre-cooking: Boil the apricot pieces in boiling water for 5-8 minutes, until cooked through but not mushy.

7. Sorting and filling into cans: After removing overripe, soft and mushy fruit pieces, fill into cans separately according to size, color and completeness. For a 425 g net weight can, fill with 240 g of apricot flesh. For a 567 g net weight can, fill with 320 g of apricot flesh.

8. Syrup filling: Prepare a sugar solution of 60-70% concentration, boil it and filter while hot to remove impurities in the sugar, then dilute the sugar solution to a concentration of 27-35% just before filling into cans, and fill into the cans when the sugar water temperature is not lower than 70°C.

9. Heating and exhausting: After introducing steam into the exhaust box, exhaust for 7-15 minutes, until the center temperature of the can reaches above 80°C.

10. Sealing and sterilization: Seal the cans immediately after exhausting. Then place them in water that has reached 80-90°C, boil for 10 minutes, remove, cool in stages to 40°C, and take out.

(3) Quality indicators

The fruit flesh is light yellow or orange-yellow, with consistent color and size in the same can; the syrup is transparent, allowing a small amount of fruit flesh fragments that do not cause turbidity; the weight of fruit flesh in the can is not less than 55% of the net weight, and the syrup concentration when the can is opened is 14-20%.