Processing Methods and Technical Key Points for Pitted Candied Red Dates
(1) Process flow
Material selection → Pitting → Soaking and washing → Boiling → Date soaking → Drying → Packaging.
(2) Technical key points
1. Material selection: Select fully ripe red dates with uniform size, bright red color, thick flesh and high sugar content as raw materials. Remove moldy and spotted dates. Green dates are not suitable as raw materials.
2. Pitting: Use a pitting machine to punch out the pits. The diameter of the pit outlet should not exceed 0.7 cm, the opening should be complete without damage, the punched holes should be straight at top and bottom, with no broken ends and consistent needle holes. The removed date pits, which carry some date flesh, can be used to process vinegar.
3. Soaking and washing: Pour the pitted dates into hot water at 60°C, stir gently, and soak and wash for about 20 minutes. When the date skins have slightly expanded, the date flesh has swollen, and the dates have fully absorbed water, remove them and drain off the water on the surface of the date skins. Soaking and washing, in addition to meeting hygiene requirements, can make the date skins expand, so that during boiling the dates absorb sugar evenly and have a consistent color.
4. Boiling: First prepare invert sugar syrup with 10 kg white sugar, 10 kg water and 12 g citric acid. Then pour the soaked and washed dates into a pot and heat to boil. When the temperature reaches 90°C, pour the invert sugar syrup into a stainless steel pot and boil for half an hour, then remove from the pot.
5. Date soaking: Pour the boiled dates together with the original sugar liquid into sugar water prepared with rose, honey, osmanthus, white sugar and other ingredients, and soak for 24 hours, until the date flesh has fully absorbed the syrup and the dates appear dark purple-red.
6. Drying: Wash the surface syrup off the soaked dates in hot water, scoop them onto baking trays, and send them into a drying room for baking. Keep the drying room temperature at 60-70°C and bake for 12 hours. When the moisture content of the candied dates has dropped to about 15% and they feel hard on the outside and soft in the flesh when touched by hand, they are ready.
7. Packaging: After the candied dates are dried, classify them. Select finished products of uniform size and bright purple-red color, and sell them after packaging.
(3) Quality indicators
The dates are round, semi-transparent, purple-red and glossy, with a rich osmanthus fragrance, a sweet and delicious taste, moderate crispness and softness, and a sugar content above 70%.