Peach processing steps
The dried peaches should have the following characteristics: have large fruit shape and high sugar content, firm and thick flesh, less juice, golden flesh, aroma, less fiber, and 80-90% of maturity. It is best to harvest the peaches when the skin of the fruit is slightly soft.
1 Selection and cleaning
Remove these fruits which is rotten, diseased, damaged and unripe. Clean the sediment on the surface of the fruit with clean water, and then brush off the peach hair. If there are more residual pesticides, soak it in 0.5-1% dilute hydrochloric acid solution for 35 minutes, and then wash it off.
2 cut and pitted
Use a half cutter or a stainless steel knife to cut the peach in half along the “suture line” of the fruit, use a core knife to dig out the core, and then put the peach into 1-3% salt solution to protect the color.
3 Peel and wash
It can be peeled with a peeling stuff, or scald the peach with 1.0-2.5% hot sodium hydroxide solution for 30-60 seconds to peel, then immediately rub the peach slices in clean water to remove the peach skin and rinse.
4 blanch
Steam the peeled peach slices in steam for 5 minutes, or blanch in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, and then remove it and drain the water.
5 sulphur
Arrange the peaches cut-side upward on the plate and sulphur for 4-6 hours. About 3 kilograms of sulfur are needed for per ton of fresh fruit.
Peach drying process
The processed materials are directly sent to the drying room for drying. 10 kg could be loaded for each square meter. The initial temperature is set to 55 °C, the final temperature is set to 65 °C. The relative humidity at the end point is controlled at 20-30%, and the drying time is about 14 hours. Remove the unqualified peach slices and place them in an airtight container for 3 weeks, so that the water content of each part is uniform and the texture is in a suitable soft state. The standard finished product requires that the dried peach is in white or yellow-white, shiny and has peach fruit fragrance. The dried peaches should be large in size, thick in flesh, and not crispy or moldy. The moisture content of the dried peach is 15-18%.