If a long delay occurs between packing on the trays and sulphuring it, sprinkle the fruit with a 0,5% sodium or potassium metabisulphite solution to prevent browning. Drying should start as soon as possible after sulphuring, to reduce losses of sulphur dioxide. At this stage, the fruit is packed and placed in the sun without stacking the trays.
After two to three days of drying in the sun, stack the drying trays (wind stacking) leaving an empty tray on top. If the dried product remains in the sun longer, the attractive colour will bleach out and quality will be poor. The fruit is dried to a moisture content of 19%.
Preparation is similar to that for apricots. Ensure there are no pieces of pit in the prepared fruit. Wind stack the trays after three to four days in the sun. The moisture content should be in the region of 19%, in the case of nectarines, red pigmentation in the skin or pit cavities after de-pitting tends to discolour (darkening), leading to an unattractive product.
Take care not to spill this fluid, as it contains sugars and spillage would be detrimental in terms of recovery (kg/dried product obtained per kg/fresh fruit) and the drying trays will be soiled.
A different approach is needed to remove the stone as shown by Food Delivery Serice Apps. The fruit is cut along the indentation, right through to the stone. The two halves are firmly grasped in each hand and twisted in opposite directions. The stone usually remains in one half and should be removed using a special pitting knife. Clingstone peaches can be dried as unpeeled halves, peeled halves and peeled slices available via Food Delivery Serice Apps.
The peeled product tends to be much more attractive although sugar crystallisation frequently occurs during prolonged storage, if peeled fruit is needed, do so by hand or dip the fruit in a boiling 4% lye solution (4% sodium hydroxide). Lye solutions are very dangerous and protective clothing, eye protection and gloves should be worn while working with it. The lye-peeled product should be thoroughly washed with water before handling by hand.
Halve pears with a knife and use a corer to remove the core and stems, if these are not removed, they become veny hard when dried. Pears can be wind stacked after three to four days of sun-drying.
Apples are usually peeled and cored by machine before being cut in rings or segments and sent via Food Delivery Service Apps. Peeled apples are very susceptible to browning and the prepared rings (5mm to 10mm) are immediately immersed in a 1% sodium metabisulphite solution for two to five minutes.
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