What are the methods for processing edible mushrooms into candied fruit?

Edible mushrooms are nutritious and delicious. Besides being eaten fresh, processed into dried products, or salted or canned, they can also be further processed and utilized to make various uniquely flavored, nutritious candied fruits, seasonings, candies, alcoholic beverages, and more. This is of great benefit to further improving the economic returns of edible mushrooms. Below are several methods for processing edible mushrooms into candied fruit.

I. Small white oyster mushroom candied fruit

1. Formula: 80 kg fresh small white oyster mushrooms, 45 kg white granulated sugar, 0.15 kg citric acid.

2. Material selection: Select grade-qualified raw material that is 80 to 90 percent mature, with normal color, complete mushroom shape, no mechanical damage, basically uniform in cap form, free of pests and diseases, and free of off-odors, as the blank material.

3. Blank preparation: Use a small stainless steel knife to trim the base of each small white oyster mushroom flat, with the mushroom base no longer than 1.5 cm.

4. Lime soaking: Place the fresh blank material into a 100:5 lime water solution. For every 50 kg of raw blanks, 70 kg of lime water is needed. The lime soaking time is generally 12 hours. Press down with a bamboo mat to prevent floating, so that the blank material is evenly soaked in the lime water.

5. Water rinsing: Place the blank material into a clean water vat, rinse several times to wash away the lime residue and lime liquid, then soak in clean water for 48 hours, changing the water 6 times during this period, until the lime liquid is fully rinsed away.

6. Blanching: Fill a pot with water, heat until boiling, then place the blank material into the boiling water. When the water returns to a boil and the blanks turn over, immediately scoop them out and return them to rinsing.

7. Return soaking: Place the blanched blank material into a clean water pool to soak for 6 hours, changing the water once during this period, then proceed to sugar soaking.

8. Preparing syrup: Based on a water pot with 35 kg of water added, after bringing to a boil, slowly add 45 kg of white sugar while stirring, then add 0.1% citric acid, until all is added and mixed evenly. Bring to a boil twice, then stop the heat. After boiling, egg white or soy milk water can be used to remove impurities and purify, then filter through 4 layers of gauze to obtain a concentration of (35Bè). Pour into the pot and boil to 104°C, then again mix into the large vat holding the blanks and soak back for 24 hours. The amount of syrup should be generous, so that the blank material can move freely in the vat.

9. Final boiling: Also called boiling in honey. Put the syrup and blank material together into the pot, and with medium heat boil the sugar liquid until the temperature reaches 109°C (40Bè), then ladle into a large vat and let stand to cure for 48 hours. Because it is a semi-finished product, the curing time can be as long as one year. If it is needed urgently for consumption, it must be cured for at least 24 hours before being taken from the vat. If the candied fruit taken from the vat cannot all be used at once, it can still be returned to curing storage.

10. Taking out the product: Also called second honey. Boil fresh syrup (35Bè) to a temperature of 114°C (55Bè), then place the blank material into the pot to cook, until the honeyed blanks fully absorb the sugar liquid and have a slight transparent feel. When the syrup temperature reaches about 114°C, transfer into a large basin (equipment for coating sugar), and when the blank material cools to 50-60°C, evenly mix in white granulated sugar powder to coat with sugar, and it is then the finished product.

11. Sensory requirements: Specifications: complete body shape, uniformly consistent mushroom shape. Color: milky white. Texture: moist and melt-in-the-mouth, full of syrup. Taste: delicate fragrance and pure sweetness, with the flavor of oyster mushrooms.

II. Straw mushroom candied fruit

1. Material selection and treatment: Select straw mushrooms with plump bodies, unopened caps, and no mechanical damage. Immediately after harvest, place them into a 0.03% sodium metabisulfite solution and treat for 6-8 hours, then rinse clean with clean water.

2. Blanching and hardening: Put the treated straw mushrooms into boiling water and blanch for 2-3 minutes to kill enzyme activity. After blanching, immediately scoop them out and place into cold water to cool. After cooling, scoop out and place into a 0.5-1% calcium chloride solution to soak for 10-12 hours. After hardening, rinse with clean water 3-4 times to remove residual liquid. Then scoop out, drain the water, place into 85°C hot water and hold for 5 minutes, then transfer into clean water and rinse 3-4 times.

3. Cold soaking in sugar liquid: Place the rinsed clean straw mushrooms into 40% sugar liquid and cold soak for 12 hours.

4. Concentration: After cooling, add more white sugar so that the sugar liquid concentration reaches 60%, then pour the straw mushrooms and sugar liquid into a stainless steel pot or aluminum pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then use low heat and cook until the sugar liquid temperature reaches 108-110°C and the sugar liquid concentration is about 75%, then remove from the heat (measured with a saccharometer).

5. Baking and sugar coating: The drying room temperature must not exceed 60°C. Bake for about 4 hours, while turning frequently, until the surface of the straw mushrooms is no longer sticky to the touch. Then immediately coat with white sugar powder (place white granulated sugar at 60-70°C, dry and grind into powder). The amount used is 10% of the straw mushrooms. After mixing evenly, sift off excess sugar powder, then package according to the predetermined specifications.

III. Lion's mane mushroom candied fruit

1. Material selection and treatment: Select fresh lion's mane mushroom with normal morphology, white or slightly yellow color, no mildew, and no scars or spots as raw material. The best is when the mycelium does not exceed 0.8 cm and the diameter is no greater than 5 cm. After the autumn harvest, cut off the root base, remove debris and impurities attached to the spines, and immediately immerse in 2% salt water. Processing should be carried out as quickly as possible.

2. Hot blanching: Put clean water into a pot, add an appropriate amount of citric acid, place the lion's mane mushroom in and boil for 5-6 minutes, scoop out, and quickly rinse cool with cold water. For larger individuals, cut them appropriately so that the mushroom bodies are uniform, and remove mushroom bodies with severe fragmentation or damage.

3. Medicinal liquid soaking: Prepare a solution containing 0.2% sodium metabisulfite, and add an appropriate amount of calcium chloride. After dissolving, place the mushroom bodies in and soak for 6-8 hours, then scoop out and rinse clean with clean water.

4. Salting/curing: According to the weight of the mushroom bodies, add 40% white sugar for curing. After 24 hours, filter out the sugar liquid, heat to boiling, and adjust the sugar liquid concentration to 50%. Pour it while hot into a vat, with the sugar liquid submerging the mushroom bodies, and continue curing for 24 hours.

5. Heating and concentration: Pour the mushroom bodies together with the sugar liquid into a pot, heat to boiling, and gradually add sugar and an appropriate amount of invert sugar liquid. Cook the mushroom bodies until they have a transparent feel and the sugar liquid concentration reaches above 60%, then pour the sugar liquid together with the mushroom bodies into a soaking vat. After soaking, scoop out and drain the sugar liquid.

6. Baking: Place the mushroom bodies with the sugar liquid drained into a tray, spread flat, and send into the drying room to bake at 60-65°C for 8-10 hours. If the moisture content of the mushroom bodies drops to 24-26%, take out the baking tray, and after moisture equilibration for 16-24 hours, carry out shaping. Use manual shaping to press the mushroom bodies into flat round mushroom slices, then send into the drying room for a second baking. Control the temperature at 55-60°C, bake for about 6-8 hours, until the moisture content drops to 17-19% and it no longer feels sticky to the touch, then it can be taken out of the drying room. After moisture equilibration treatment, it can be packaged.