How can Zhejiang Jinhua finger citron deep processing break through the bottleneck?
Zhejiang Jinhua finger citron deep processing seeks a breakthrough
Jinhua Daily news: On May 22, 2009, the reporter saw in the workshop of Zhejiang Jinfo Shou Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. that cans of exquisitely packaged “Yipinkang” finger citron juice beverage were continuously flowing out from the production line, and workers were busy filling and packing.
“Although official sales have not yet begun, many distributors have already come to us and placed quite a few orders.” Company general manager Zhu Baojun spoke about this finger citron health beverage, the only one of its kind on the domestic market, with evident confidence. According to the introduction, this production line adopts advanced biological cell-wall-breaking technology, carrying out high-pressure crushing and sterilization in a sealed state, so that more than 20 bioactive components in fresh finger citron fruit, including bergapten, limonin, diosmin, hesperidin, coumarin, flavonoids and amino acids, are not lost, and freshness is maintained for more than two years in the canned liquid state. This technology not only solves the centuries-old problem that “finger citron is difficult to eat fresh,” but also finds a breakthrough for deep processing of finger citron.
Like Jinhua ham, finger citron is also a “golden name card” among Jinhua's specialty products. Because finger citron is difficult to eat fresh, for a long time most finger citron, which is rich in medicinal value, has been made into bonsai, or processed by the traditional Chinese medicine sun-drying method into dried finger citron for making tea or infusing liquor, and its edible and medicinal value could not be brought into full play. Under this extensive management model, in years of abundant finger citron harvests, the problem of difficulty in selling the fruit often appeared, greatly harming farmers' interests.
As early as 2004, the municipal government listed deep processing of Jinhua finger citron as a scientific and technological project and invited public bids. That year, Jinhua native Cao Jun, who had previously been in the auto parts business, teamed up with China Agricultural University to win the topic and began four years of technical research. Last year, finger citron juice beverage, one part of the project, began trial production, and afterward production was forced to stop because of an accident.
In order to let the just-starting finger citron industry grow healthily, with the help of the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Zhu Baojun, who had long worked in the pharmaceutical industry, took over the project. “As a specialty agricultural product of Jinhua, if finger citron can be combined with modern technology and effort is put into deep processing and industrialization, it will inevitably bring economic and social benefits.” Zhu Baojun said confidently.
In addition to the finger citron juice beverage that is about to be officially launched, Zhu Baojun and his cooperative team have already achieved breakthroughs in extraction technology for finger citron oil and in using finger citron fruit residue to develop protein feed, and are conducting deeper research and development of medicinal finger citron products.
Finger citron oil is the most widely used component of finger citron, and its aroma is extremely rich. Modern research has proved that finger citron oil can refresh the mind, relieve unpleasant emotions such as fear, tension, disappointment, sadness and anger, and smelling it can make people feel pleasant and restore confidence. Therefore, finger citron oil is currently widely used abroad in aromatherapy.
Most foreign finger citron oil is extracted from the peel of bergamot, with a yield generally of only about 0.5%. In our city, however, the content of finger citron oil extracted from finger citron is relatively high, and the yield can reach 1.6%; moreover, finger citron leaves and finger citron flowers can also be used to extract finger citron oil, which can further reduce costs and enhance market competitiveness.
“Although official sales have not yet begun, many distributors have already come to us and placed quite a few orders.” Company general manager Zhu Baojun spoke about this finger citron health beverage, the only one of its kind on the domestic market, with evident confidence. According to the introduction, this production line adopts advanced biological cell-wall-breaking technology, carrying out high-pressure crushing and sterilization in a sealed state, so that more than 20 bioactive components in fresh finger citron fruit, including bergapten, limonin, diosmin, hesperidin, coumarin, flavonoids and amino acids, are not lost, and freshness is maintained for more than two years in the canned liquid state. This technology not only solves the centuries-old problem that “finger citron is difficult to eat fresh,” but also finds a breakthrough for deep processing of finger citron.
Like Jinhua ham, finger citron is also a “golden name card” among Jinhua's specialty products. Because finger citron is difficult to eat fresh, for a long time most finger citron, which is rich in medicinal value, has been made into bonsai, or processed by the traditional Chinese medicine sun-drying method into dried finger citron for making tea or infusing liquor, and its edible and medicinal value could not be brought into full play. Under this extensive management model, in years of abundant finger citron harvests, the problem of difficulty in selling the fruit often appeared, greatly harming farmers' interests.
As early as 2004, the municipal government listed deep processing of Jinhua finger citron as a scientific and technological project and invited public bids. That year, Jinhua native Cao Jun, who had previously been in the auto parts business, teamed up with China Agricultural University to win the topic and began four years of technical research. Last year, finger citron juice beverage, one part of the project, began trial production, and afterward production was forced to stop because of an accident.
In order to let the just-starting finger citron industry grow healthily, with the help of the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Zhu Baojun, who had long worked in the pharmaceutical industry, took over the project. “As a specialty agricultural product of Jinhua, if finger citron can be combined with modern technology and effort is put into deep processing and industrialization, it will inevitably bring economic and social benefits.” Zhu Baojun said confidently.
In addition to the finger citron juice beverage that is about to be officially launched, Zhu Baojun and his cooperative team have already achieved breakthroughs in extraction technology for finger citron oil and in using finger citron fruit residue to develop protein feed, and are conducting deeper research and development of medicinal finger citron products.
Finger citron oil is the most widely used component of finger citron, and its aroma is extremely rich. Modern research has proved that finger citron oil can refresh the mind, relieve unpleasant emotions such as fear, tension, disappointment, sadness and anger, and smelling it can make people feel pleasant and restore confidence. Therefore, finger citron oil is currently widely used abroad in aromatherapy.
Most foreign finger citron oil is extracted from the peel of bergamot, with a yield generally of only about 0.5%. In our city, however, the content of finger citron oil extracted from finger citron is relatively high, and the yield can reach 1.6%; moreover, finger citron leaves and finger citron flowers can also be used to extract finger citron oil, which can further reduce costs and enhance market competitiveness.