Detailed Explanation of Low-Sugar Processing Technology for Candied Lion's Mane Mushroom

This product is a new type of candied mushroom, and also a health food with a unique flavor suitable for all ages.

The process is as follows: (1) Select fresh mushrooms of a variety with smaller caps, plump fruiting bodies, at 80-90% maturity, with normal color, no off-odor, no damage, and no pests or diseases, as raw material. Immediately put the selected raw material into a 0.03% sodium sulfite solution, and use a stainless steel knife to remove the browned part at the lower part of the cap, so that the lengths are uniform and the sizes are even. (2) Put the trimmed fresh mushrooms into boiling water, heat and boil for 1-3 min, remove them and immediately put them into cold water to cool, then scoop them out and drain. Then soak them in pre-prepared 100:5 lime water, with a mushroom-to-water ratio of 1:1.5. After soaking for 12 h, scoop them out and rinse with clean water for 48 h, until the lime liquor is rinsed clean. (3) According to a 1:1 ratio of white granulated sugar and glucose, add an appropriate amount of water and boil to dissolve, to prepare a 50% sugar solution, and add 0.5% citric acid and 0.05% sodium benzoate preservative (calculated as a percentage by weight of the sugar solution), filter with 4 layers of gauze and set aside. Drain the rinsed lion's mane mushrooms, put them into the cold sugar solution and soak for 24 h, then add an appropriate amount of white granulated sugar and continue soaking for 24 h, with a mushroom-to-sugar solution ratio of 1:2. (4) Pour the lion's mane mushrooms after cold sugar soaking together with the sugar solution into a pot and heat to a boil, and add an appropriate amount of white granulated sugar, keeping it boiling over gentle heat. Finally, when the sugar content is measured to reach 55%, it can be taken off the heat. (5) Separately prepare 1% and 5% seaweed polysaccharide gum solutions and calcium chloride solutions. (6) Put the formed lion's mane mushrooms into clean water for re-rinsing. (7) Scoop out the de-astringed lion's mane mushrooms, put them into a drying oven and dry them at 50-60°C, trim the dried lion's mane mushrooms to a uniform appearance, pack them into hard plastic food boxes or food plastic bags, seal and preserve, and after passing inspection they can be sold on the market.