A Detailed Guide to Lily Storage Methods and Processing Techniques

I. Storage. Freshly harvested lilies have a high moisture content and vigorous respiration; if not stored properly, they easily become moldy, which affects their medicinal efficacy and value. If lilies are stored in fine sand, they can be kept both fresh and of good quality.

1. Raw material preparation before storage: Freshly harvested lilies should be placed in a shaded area, avoiding direct sunlight, to prevent the outer scales from discoloring and losing water. After digging out the lily bulbs, soil, stems and fibrous roots should be removed promptly, then complete lily bulbs that are white in color, large, fresh and free of disease spots should be selected and stored by grade.

2. Key operating points of the sand storage method: ① In a cool room or basement, build a pool or pit of appropriate size with bricks according to the quantity of lilies to be stored. ② First spread a uniform layer of fine sand 6-8 cm thick on the bottom of the pool or pit, then arrange the fresh lily bulbs on the sand, cover with 3-4 cm of sand, then arrange another layer of lily bulbs on the sand layer, and repeat this stacking in succession, with a stacking thickness of about 1 m being suitable. The sand covering the lilies should be slightly dry, so as to avoid the lilies rooting and rotting due to excessive humidity. ③ Cover the surrounding sides and top of the lilies with 20-30 cm of soil (or sand, rice straw); note that it must not be too thin, otherwise the lily bulbs will easily dehydrate and lose freshness. ④ The storage temperature within the pile should preferably be 6-11°C; during storage, inspections should be made frequently to prevent the lilies in the pile from heating up and rotting. If heating occurs, they should be re-stacked and stored according to the above method.

II. Processing. If lilies are not used fresh, they can be processed into dried slices @#@136@#@. The method is as follows:

1. Separating the scales: Fresh scales can be separated by hand, or a horizontal cut can be made at the base of the bulb to separate the scales. When separating scales, because varieties differ, the texture of the scales also differs; therefore, different varieties should not be mixed during separation, and for the same variety, the scales should also be placed separately according to their position of attachment, namely outer scales, middle scales and inner scales, then washed clean and drained dry.

2. Blanching the scales: Bring water to a boil, put the pretreated scales into the pot by category, placing an appropriate amount of scales in each pot to facilitate stirring, with the water just covering the scales. During blanching, the heat should be even; the blanching time for each pot is 5-10 minutes (counted from when the water comes back to a boil after the scales are put in). When the edges of the scales become soft and slight cracks appear on the back side, remove them quickly, place them in clean water to rinse, wash off the mucilage, then remove and drain dry. Generally, the same pot of water can be used to blanch scales 2-3 times in succession; if the water becomes cloudy, change the water, otherwise it will affect the color of the scales and reduce quality.

3. Drying the scales: After blanching and rinsing, the scales must not be piled up; they should be spread out to dry promptly. When the scales are 60% dry, turn them over once and continue drying until completely dry. If turned over too early, the scales are easily broken and the quality is poor. If cloudy weather occurs, the scales should be spread out in a ventilated place indoors; never pile them up, to prevent mold, and a baking method may also be used for drying.

4. Packaging: Grade the dried lily slices; those with white, intact scales that are large and thick are considered top grade and suitable for export sales, then package them by grade in food-grade plastic film bags, each bag weighing 500 g, place them in cardboard boxes or fiber bags, and store in a dry, ventilated room to prevent moisture and mold, and to prevent insect damage and rodent bites, or package according to the contract when exporting.