Detailed Explanation of the Production Techniques and Methods for Candied Straw Mushrooms

1. Material selection and processing. Choose straw mushrooms with plump fruiting bodies, unopened caps, and no mechanical damage. Immediately after harvest, place them in a 0.03% sodium metabisulfite solution and treat for 6-8 h (hours), then rinse clean with clear water.

2. Blanching and hardening. Put the treated straw mushrooms into boiling water and blanch for 2-3 min (minutes) to destroy enzyme activity. After blanching, immediately remove them, place them in cold water to cool, then after cooling remove them and place them in a 0.5%-1% calcium chloride solution to soak for 10-12 h (hours). After hardening, rinse with clear water 3-4 times to remove residual liquid. Then remove them, drain off the water, put them into 85°C hot water and keep for 5 min (minutes), then transfer them into clear water and rinse 3-4 times.

3. Cold soaking in sugar solution. Put the rinsed clean straw mushrooms into a 40% sugar solution and cold soak for 12 h (hours).

4. Concentration. After cooling, add more white sugar so that the sugar solution concentration reaches 60%, then pour the straw mushrooms and sugar solution into a stainless steel pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then switch to low heat and simmer until the sugar solution temperature reaches 108-110°C and the sugar solution concentration is about 75%, then remove from the heat (measured with a saccharometer).

5. Baking and sugar coating. The drying room temperature must not exceed 60°C. Bake for about 4 h (hours), and at the same time stir the mushrooms frequently until the straw mushrooms no longer stick to the hand when pinched. Then immediately coat with white sugar powder (place white granulated sugar at 60-70°C, dry it and grind it into powder). The amount used is 10% of the weight of the straw mushrooms. After stirring evenly, sieve off the excess sugar powder, then package according to the predetermined specifications.