Crisp preservation of pickled vegetables
The reason for the loss of brittleness of vegetable pickled products is mainly related to the change of pectin substance in vegetable tissue. There are two specific manifestations: First, due to excessive ripening of vegetables before pickling, the pectin material is decomposed into pectic acid under the action of its own pectinase, which makes the vegetable tissue soft and brittle. If you use this raw material for pickling The finished product will not be brittle; secondly, due to the activity of some harmful microorganisms in the process of pickling vegetables, pectinase is secreted, which then decomposes the pectin substances in the vegetables, making the pickled products lose their brittleness . Regardless of the reason, it will soften the texture of pickled products and reduce the quality. To preserve crispness, we must first choose vegetable materials with moderate maturity, crispness and no pests.
In addition, hardening treatment can be carried out before pickling or during pickling to make the soluble pectin in the vegetable raw material combine with metal ions to form insoluble pectinate to maintain the brittleness of the pickled vegetables, such as placing the raw material in lime before pickling Soak in water or alum water, or add CaClz, CaC03, etc. during pickling to play a hardening role. In addition, the pickling conditions must be properly controlled, such as salt concentration, pH, etc., to inhibit the activities of harmful microorganisms, and prevent microorganisms from destroying the brittleness of pickled vegetables. In the actual production process, for semi-dry pickles such as mustard and kohlrabi, the amount of salt used for drying and salting must be appropriate to maintain a certain water content in the product to help keep it crisp. Vegetables for pickling should be moderately mature and not damaged. During processing, attention should be paid to inhibit the activities of harmful microorganisms. At the same time, the raw materials should be soaked in lime-dissolved water for a short time before pickling. The calcium ions in the lime water can interact with pectin. The action of acid produces a gel of calcium pectate. Generally, calcium salt is used as an anti-fragility agent, such as calcium chloride, and its dosage is preferably 0.05% of the weight of the vegetable.