Detailed Explanation of the Processing and Production Method for Salted Sour Carambola (Starfruit) Brine Preserves

Carambola (starfruit) falls into two major types: one is crisp, clean and sweet, 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 and astringent, mostly grown in mountainous areas without any special cultivation by people. Because of its strong sourness, this kind of sour carambola is not suitable for eating fresh, but it can serve as a raw material for sugar-preserved products. To store the raw material, it can first be made into a semi-finished salted brine preserve. There are two methods for making the salted brine preserve. One is the brine curing method: prepare a 5-8% salt solution to cure the sour carambola. After harvest, 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 surface of the fruit to prevent the fruit from molding and rotting. Then it is sun-dried intensively; once salt frost appears on the surface, it can be packed away. The other method is dry-salt curing, using an amount of salt equal to 20% of the raw material's weight. In a large vat or large tank, first spread a layer of salt about 1-2 cm thick as the base, preferably using crude salt, then add the raw material, which can be whole fruit without any preparation. In this way, one layer of raw material and one layer of salt, with another layer of salt added 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 intensive sun-drying. Once the raw material shrinks and salt frost forms on the surface, it is gathered together and covered to soften for 1-2 days, then sun-dried again, and finally the moisture content is reduced to about 20%, at which point sun-drying ends. If the rainy season is encountered, artificial drying methods should be used to dry it, otherwise mold and rot losses will occur. The final finished product should be packaged in sealed packaging, to be kept for processing into preserved fruits or candied fruits.