Processing Methods and Technical Key Points for Salted Sour Carambola (Starfruit) Salt-Preserved Base

Carambola (starfruit) falls into two major types: one is crisp, sweet and refreshing, suitable for eating fresh or for processing into carambola juice, carambola in syrup canned goods, and the like. Whether eaten fresh or processed, its quality and flavor are quite good. The other type is extremely sour with an astringent taste, mostly grown in mountainous areas without any special cultivation by humans. Because of its strong sourness, this sour carambola is not suitable for fresh eating, but it can serve as a raw material for sugar-preserved processing. In order to preserve the raw material, it can first be made into a semi-finished salt-preserved base. There are two methods for making the salt-preserved base: one is the brine curing method, preparing a 5-8% salt solution to cure the sour carambola. After harvesting, the sour carambola is best trimmed of its ridges and cut lengthwise into two halves, then cured in dilute brine for more than ten days. During curing, stones should be used to press down on the fruit surface to prevent the fruit from molding and rotting. Then it is sun-dried thoroughly; once salt frost appears on the surface, it can be packaged. The other method is dry-salt curing, using an amount of salt equal to 20% of the raw material weight. In a large vat or large pit, first spread a bottom layer of table salt about 1-2 cm thick, preferably using crude salt, then add the raw material, which can be whole fruit without any treatment. In this way, one layer of raw material and one layer of salt, with another layer of salt on top, pressed down firmly with stones. After more than ten to twenty days this way, the raw material can be taken out of the brine for thorough sun-drying. Once the raw material shrinks and salt frost forms on the surface, gather and cover it to soften for 1-2 days, then sun-dry again, finally reducing the moisture content to about 20%, and the sun-drying is finished. If the rainy season is encountered, artificial drying methods should be used for drying, otherwise mold and rot losses will occur. The final finished product packaging requires sealed packaging, to be kept for processing into preserved fruits or candied fruits.