Detailed explanation of the jujube processing workflow

1. Workflow

Raw material selection → scoring → sulfur fumigation → boiling → drying → grading and packaging → finished product

2. Key operating points

Material selection: choose fruit that is uniform in size, thin-skinned, with loose flesh and little juice, harvested at the white-ripe stage, free of pests, diseases and mechanical damage.

Scoring and sulfur fumigation: first sort the raw material into several grades by size; to facilitate sugar penetration, cut fine lengthwise stripes on the surface of the jujube, 70-80 cuts per fruit, with a depth reaching half the thickness of the flesh; immediately after scoring, fumigate with sulfur, using 300 g of sulfur per 100 kg of fruit, fumigating for 30-40 minutes, until the juice squeezed from the flesh is milky white.

Boiling: first put a small amount of water into the pot (about 10% of the weight of the raw material), then add granulated sugar accounting for 60% of the total amount, heat to dissolve, then pour in the scored jujubes, boil for 20-30 minutes, then add all the remaining 40% of the granulated sugar, continue boiling and stirring constantly so that the jujubes absorb sugar evenly; when the temperature reaches 103-105°C, remove from the heat, pour together with the sugar liquid into a previously prepared vat, and soak for 20-24 hours.

Drying: drain the sugar liquid from the soaked fruit, place it on trays and send it into the drying room, keep at 55-65°C, take it out when the jujube body is slightly soft, pinch each one by hand into a flat round shape, then put it back on the trays and continue drying until the surface is no longer sticky to the touch and the flesh is chewy.

Grading and packaging: usually graded by size, 60 pieces per kg for special grade, 80 for first grade, 110 for second grade, and 140 for third grade, packed into food boxes or plastic bags.

Product quality requirements:

Appearance: the jujube body is dry and not sticky, the cut lines are fine, even and neat, and the shape is long, round and flat.

Color: the jujube surface is yellow and bright, without scorched skin, and glossy.

Flavor: the sugar taste is pure, and it is loose but not hard in the mouth.

Content: sugar 68-70%, moisture 16-18%, SO2 not exceeding 0.003%.