Schisandra Berry Jelly Processing Methods and Technical Key Points

1. Process flow: raw materials → sorting → washing → pulping and seed removal → boiling → filtering → blending → concentration → filling and sealing → sterilization → cooling → inspection → finished product.

2. Technical key points

(1) Raw material handling: select fresh Schisandra berries with good maturity, remove impurities and moldy parts, then wash them clean, then crush them with a crusher while removing the seeds; after boiling, filter to remove the pulp portion. The pulp may also be retained, and after blending, homogenization treatment is required, with a homogenization pressure of 50 MPa.

(2) Blending: the juice dosage is 25%-30%, and the remainder is made up with water. Before concentrating with sugar, first measure the pectin content of the juice. Only when the pectin content is higher than 1%-1.5% can it be used to make jelly. The determination method is: take 15 mL of juice, add 15 mL of 95% edible alcohol, mix and shake in a test tube. If a large amount of flocculent white precipitate appears at this time, it indicates that the pectin content is above 1% and it can be used. If the flocculent material is sparse, it indicates that the pectin content is low, and at this time a gelling agent (agar or pectin powder) must be added to the juice before it can be made into jelly. Because this product cannot be processed from whole juice, it is necessary to add agar or jelly powder at 1%-1.5% of the raw material weight, and adjust the liquid to pH 3.1-3.3 with citric acid or tartaric acid. Weigh the filtered juice and pour it into a double-boiler pot, heat and boil, and when it is concentrated to about 3/5 of the raw material amount, begin adding sugar (the amount of sugar added is 50% of the weight of the filtered original juice), generally added in 2-3 portions. Add sodium sorbate preservative to the juice syrup, at a dosage of 0.05% of the juice amount. During the boiling process, stir continuously to prevent burning, and remove the foam floating on the liquid surface at any time.

(3) Concentration endpoint and finished product concentration endpoint can be determined by the following methods:

First, measure the boiling point with a thermometer; when the concentration temperature reaches 105-106°C, it is ready;

Second, measure the soluble solids content; when the soluble solids reach about 65%, it is ready;

Third, take a small sample with a stirring board, first cool it in air for more than ten seconds, and if the sample drips down in clumps when the board is tilted, it indicates that concentration has reached the endpoint. When the endpoint is reached, heating should be stopped immediately, the surface gel film removed, and then it should be poured into a flat-bottomed shallow pan, with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm being suitable. After cooling, it becomes a transparent gel. Cut into small pieces and wrap with cellophane or glutinous rice paper, or fill into jars and seal to finish; or use twist-off bottles and fill the bottles while hot and cap them, or package in plastic cups and then cap and seal, then sterilize at 100°C for 10 minutes, and after cooling, it solidifies to give the finished product.