Preparation method of zanthoxylum bungeanum sprout paste
By using methods such as boiling, cutting, quick stir-frying, and low-temperature simmering, combined with antioxidants and seasonings, the problems of oxidative browning, loss of coarse fiber and numbing flavor in Sichuan pepper bud sauce during processing have been solved, thus achieving color preservation, taste and flavor stability of the product.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SICHUAN XINXIN HUOWA FOOD CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-05-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-10
AI Technical Summary
Sichuan peppercorn bud sauce is prone to oxidation and browning during processing, has a high crude fiber content, a rough texture, and its numbing substances are easily degraded by heat, resulting in poor product appearance and unstable flavor.
The process involves boiling, cutting into sections, stir-frying quickly, simmering at low temperatures, and microwaving at low temperatures. Combined with the use of antioxidants and seasonings, this method controls enzymatic browning and fiber degradation while preserving the numbing flavor.
It effectively inhibits enzymatic browning, reduces crude fiber content, improves taste, maintains the stability of numbing flavor, and enhances product appearance and flavor quality.
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of bud sauce production technology, specifically a method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce. Background Technology
[0002] Sichuan pepper buds (the tender buds and leaves that sprout from the Sichuan pepper tree in spring) are glossy green and have a unique aroma and numbing flavor. They are rich in volatile oils, alkaloids, flavonoids and polyphenols, and have both edible and medicinal value. They are a delicacy among sprout vegetables. In recent years, with the increasing demand for natural seasonings from consumers, seasoning sauces made from Sichuan pepper buds have begun to attract market attention.
[0003] The following limitations exist in the development and existing technologies of Sichuan pepper bud sauce:
[0004] (1) Insufficient color protection effect, and the product is prone to oxidative browning: Sichuan pepper buds and leaves are rich in polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD). During the processing, the tissue is damaged and the enzymatic browning reaction is significant, which seriously affects the appearance quality of the product. The existing technology uses a single blanching treatment and brine soaking for color protection. The color protection agent formula is relatively simple. It relies only on the antiseptic and color protection effect of traditional brine and fails to fully inhibit enzymatic browning. The product is prone to darkening and browning during processing and storage. The product is directly processed into fine juice by mechanical crushing without effective color protection treatment. During the crushing process, the cell structure is destroyed and the oxidase comes into full contact with the substrate, which easily leads to browning reaction, resulting in poor product appearance.
[0005] (2) High crude fiber content and rough texture; Sichuan pepper buds contain high crude fiber. If they are not effectively tenderized, the sauce will have a rough texture and a noticeable gritty feel. With conventional crushing methods, the fiber tissue in the Sichuan pepper buds is not fully degraded, resulting in insufficient smoothness.
[0006] (3) The numbing substances are easily thermally degraded during processing, resulting in unstable flavor quality. The main source of the numbing flavor of Sichuan pepper is the amide compound of unsaturated fatty acids, which is highly sensitive to heat and is prone to degradation and isomerization under high temperature conditions. In the existing technology, scallions, ginger and garlic are simmered for 15-20 minutes and then Sichuan pepper sprouts are added and simmered for a long time. The high temperature treatment leads to a large loss of numbing components, and the product has insufficient numbing flavor or impure flavor. It only involves grinding fine powder and then directly mixing and sterilizing, and the control of simmering temperature and time is not precise enough. Summary of the Invention
[0007] This invention provides a method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce that can effectively inhibit enzymatic browning, reduce crude fiber content, improve product stability, and control nitrite content, thereby overcoming the defects of existing technologies such as easy oxidative browning, rough taste, easy layering, and easy excessive nitrite content.
[0008] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention proposes the following technical solution: a method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce, comprising the following steps:
[0009] S1. Preparation: Select fresh pepper buds within 24 hours of picking, remove yellow leaves, old stems and impurities, rinse with running water and drain.
[0010] S2. Pretreatment preparation: Put the cleaned pepper buds into boiling water at 95-100℃ and keep the water boiling during the cooking process. The amount of water should be at least 3 times the volume of the pepper buds.
[0011] S3. Cooling preparation: After taking out the cooked pepper sprouts, immediately put them into cold water to cool to room temperature, then take out the pepper sprouts and drain the surface water.
[0012] S4. Chopping: After cooling, the pepper buds are chopped into small pieces with a length of 0.5-2cm to obtain pepper bud segments;
[0013] S5. High-temperature stir-frying: Heat vegetable oil in a wok, add minced ginger, minced garlic and some peppercorn buds, and stir-fry quickly at high temperature;
[0014] S6. Simmer over low heat: Reduce the oil temperature, add the remaining peppercorn buds and seasonings, and continue to simmer until the sauce becomes a thick paste.
[0015] S7. Filling and sterilization: Fill the prepared Sichuan peppercorn bud sauce into bottles and sterilize and cool it.
[0016] Furthermore, in step S5, the vegetable oil is heated to 150-180°C, and the weight of the portion of pepper buds accounts for 1 / 3-1 / 2 of the total weight of the pepper buds.
[0017] Furthermore, in step S3, the oil temperature is reduced to 90-120°C, and the cooking time is 20-30 minutes.
[0018] Furthermore, in step 5, the ingredients are measured by weight as follows: 100 parts Sichuan pepper buds, 20-50 parts vegetable oil, 5-15 parts minced garlic, and 5-10 parts minced ginger.
[0019] Furthermore, in step S6, 8-15 parts of salt, 3-8 parts of white sugar, 1-3 parts of monosodium glutamate, 3-8 parts of sesame seeds, 1-4 parts of spice powder, 0.1-2 parts of antioxidant, 0.1-0.5 parts of citric acid, and 10-30 parts of water are added.
[0020] Furthermore, the antioxidant is tea polyphenols; the spice powder is composed of star anise powder and cinnamon powder.
[0021] Furthermore, the ingredients are: 200 parts Sichuan pepper buds, 80 parts vegetable oil, 20 parts minced garlic, 15 parts minced ginger, 20 parts salt, 10 parts white sugar, 3 parts MSG, 15 parts white sesame seeds, 2 parts star anise powder, 1 part cinnamon powder, 0.5 parts tea polyphenols, and 0.3 parts citric acid.
[0022] Furthermore, in step S2, the pepper buds are cooked for 5 minutes.
[0023] Furthermore, in step S5, the vegetable oil is heated to 175°C, the portion of pepper buds is 68 parts, and the stir-frying time is 4 minutes.
[0024] Furthermore, in step S6, the oil temperature is lowered to 100°C, the remaining 132 parts of pepper buds and 20 parts of water are added, and the cooking time is 30 minutes, with stirring every 6 minutes.
[0025] In addition, the present invention also provides a method for preparing green pepper and Sichuan pepper sprout sauce, comprising the following steps:
[0026] A1. Preparation and pretreatment: Select fresh Sichuan pepper buds, and after washing, preparation, cooling and cutting into sections, obtain Sichuan pepper bud segments;
[0027] A2. Pre-treatment of auxiliary materials: Heat the vegetable oil to 130-150℃, add green peppers and stir-fry until they release water and change color, then filter out the green peppers and oil for later use.
[0028] A3. Mixing and simmering: Using the oil processed in step A2, heat it to 130℃, add minced ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Then control the oil temperature to 100℃ and add all the peppercorn buds, salt, sugar, MSG, sesame seeds, spice powder and citric acid. Stir well to obtain the sauce.
[0029] Furthermore, the ingredients used in the preparation of the green pepper and Sichuan pepper bud sauce include: 45 parts fresh Sichuan pepper buds, 12 parts vegetable oil, 10 parts green pepper, 3.5 parts minced garlic, 2.8 parts minced ginger, 5 parts salt, 2 parts white sugar, 0.8 parts monosodium glutamate, 2.5 parts sesame seeds, 1.2 parts spice powder, and 0.1 parts citric acid.
[0030] Beneficial effects of this invention:
[0031] (1) This invention adopts steps such as boiling water, cutting into sections, conventional stir-frying and boiling, high pressure homogenization and low temperature microwave sterilization. The equipment used is simple, occupies a small area, and is easy to operate. It can be used for industrial production as well as home or small-scale regional processing, thus achieving the technical goal of "simple and fast".
[0032] (2) This invention uses a pretreatment of boiling water followed by rapid cooling with cold water to deactivate the activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) in the bud tissue of Sichuan pepper, thereby inhibiting enzymatic browning in subsequent processing from the source. It replaces conventional ozone or chemical sterilization methods. The purification and initial color protection of raw materials can be achieved through physical heat treatment alone. It is simple to operate, safe and non-toxic, and is especially suitable for home or small-scale production.
[0033] (3) The present invention increases the surface area of the raw materials by chopping, which is beneficial to the dissolution and fusion of flavor substances in the subsequent sauce making process; at the same time, the short block structure is easier to soften during cooking, which improves the rough texture to a certain extent. The operation is simple and does not require the addition of any chemical additives or enzyme preparations.
[0034] (4) The present invention uses a two-stage gradient temperature control process of stir-frying and simmering. First, the base aroma of spices is stimulated at high temperature and the Maillard reaction is generated to enhance the aroma. Then, the numbing and numbing substances of Sichuan pepper buds are dissolved and fused in the low temperature zone. This avoids the degradation of heat-sensitive substances such as salicornin in the high temperature environment for a long time. The numbing and numbing flavor retention rate can reach more than 85%.
[0035] (5) By adding green peppers to the vegetable oil in advance, the present invention increases the numbing flavor of the vegetable oil. By adjusting and reducing the other ingredients and the oil temperature during cooking, it can not only improve the numbing flavor of the pepper bud sauce, but also retain the crisp and tender texture of the pepper buds. Detailed Implementation
[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to embodiments.
[0037] This invention addresses the problems of insufficient color protection, easy oxidation and browning, high crude fiber content, rough texture, easy thermal degradation of numbing substances during processing, and unstable flavor and quality in Sichuan pepper bud sauce after production. Therefore, it provides a method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce, specifically including the following steps:
[0038] S1. Preparation: Select fresh pepper buds within 24 hours of picking, remove yellow leaves, old stems and impurities, rinse with running water and drain.
[0039] S2. Pretreatment preparation: Put the cleaned pepper buds into boiling water at 95-100℃ and keep the water boiling during the cooking process. The amount of water should be at least 3 times the volume of the pepper buds.
[0040] S3. Cooling preparation: After taking out the cooked pepper sprouts, immediately put them into cold water to cool to room temperature, then take out the pepper sprouts and drain the surface water.
[0041] S4. Chopping: After cooling, the pepper buds are chopped into small pieces with a length of 0.5-2cm to obtain pepper bud segments;
[0042] S5. High-temperature stir-frying: Heat vegetable oil in a wok, add minced ginger, minced garlic and some peppercorn buds, and stir-fry quickly at high temperature;
[0043] S6. Simmer over low heat: Reduce the oil temperature, add the remaining peppercorn buds and seasonings, and continue to simmer until the sauce becomes a thick paste.
[0044] S7. Filling and sterilization: Fill the prepared Sichuan peppercorn bud sauce into bottles and sterilize and cool it.
[0045] Example 1:
[0046] The ingredients include: 100 parts Sichuan pepper buds, 25-50 parts vegetable oil, 5-15 parts minced garlic, 5-10 parts minced ginger, 8-15 parts salt, 3-8 parts white sugar, 1-3 parts monosodium glutamate, 3-8 parts sesame seeds, 1-4 parts spice powder (such as star anise, cinnamon, etc.), 0.1-2 parts antioxidant (tea polyphenols or vitamin E), and 0.1-0.5 parts citric acid (to adjust the pH to 4.5-5.5).
[0047] Select fresh pepper buds harvested within 24 hours, remove yellow leaves, old stems and impurities, rinse 2-3 times with running water, drain and set aside.
[0048] After cleaning, immerse the pepper buds in boiling water at 95-100℃ for 2-4 minutes, keeping the water boiling throughout the process. The water volume should be at least three times the volume of the pepper buds. Immediately after immersion, cool the pepper buds in running cold water to room temperature and drain off the surface moisture. This boiling and cooling process effectively kills microorganisms (including bacteria, mold, and yeast) on the surface of the pepper buds, while also deactivating the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities in the pepper bud tissue, thus inhibiting enzymatic browning during subsequent processing. After boiling, quickly remove the pepper buds and place them in cold water to dehydrate and drain off the surface moisture. This method replaces conventional ozone or chemical sterilization methods, achieving the purification and initial color protection of the raw materials through physical heat treatment alone. It is simple to operate, safe, and non-toxic, making it particularly suitable for home or small-scale production.
[0049] After cooling, cut the pepper buds into small sections of 0.5-2cm in length using a cutting machine or by hand. The length of the pepper buds after cutting directly affects the taste and appearance of the sauce after cooking. If they are too short, they will easily become a paste, and if they are too long, some fibrous texture will remain.
[0050] Add vegetable oil to a pot and heat to 160-180℃. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and 1 / 3 of the Sichuan pepper buds. Stir-fry quickly for 3-5 minutes, keeping the pot temperature above 150℃. This stage allows the spices to develop a strong aroma, and the surface of the Sichuan pepper buds quickly loses moisture, resulting in a slightly charred aroma. Then, reduce the heat to low and lower the pot temperature to 90-120℃. At this point, add the remaining 2 / 3 of the Sichuan pepper buds, salt, sugar, MSG, sesame seeds, spice powder, antioxidants, citric acid, and a small amount of water (about 10-30 parts, to adjust the consistency). Continue to simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5-8 minutes, until the sauce becomes a thick paste, dark green in color, and has a rich numbing and aromatic flavor. The final moisture content should be controlled at 45%-55%. After bottling, sterilize.
[0051] The Sichuan peppercorn bud sauce produced using this method is a basic product. Its texture is fibrous and chewy without being hard. This Sichuan peppercorn bud sauce has a distinct oily aroma and a slightly charred aroma. The original numbing and spicy aroma of the Sichuan peppercorn buds is released gently, and the overall flavor is mellow.
[0052] Example 2:
[0053] The ingredients include: 200 parts fresh Sichuan pepper buds, 80 parts vegetable oil, 20 parts minced garlic, 15 parts minced ginger, 20 parts salt, 10 parts white sugar, 3 parts MSG, 15 parts white sesame seeds, 2 parts star anise powder, 1 part cinnamon powder, 0.5 parts tea polyphenols, and 0.3 parts citric acid.
[0054] Select fresh pepper buds harvested within 24 hours, remove yellow leaves, old stems and impurities, rinse with running water 2-3 times, and drain off excess water.
[0055] Put the Sichuan pepper buds into boiling water at 95-100℃ and boil for 5 minutes, keeping the water boiling during the boiling process. The water volume should be at least 3 times the volume of the Sichuan pepper buds. After taking them out, immediately put them into running cold water to cool to room temperature and drain the surface water. Then, use your hands to chop the Sichuan pepper buds into small pieces of 0.5-2cm to make Sichuan pepper bud pieces.
[0056] Add vegetable oil to a pot and control the oil temperature to 175℃. Add minced garlic, minced ginger, and 1 / 3 of the Sichuan peppercorn buds. Stir-fry quickly for 4 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and simmer. At this time, reduce the oil temperature to 100℃, add the remaining 2 / 3 of the Sichuan peppercorn buds and other ingredients, then add 20 parts water and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir every 6 minutes during the simmering process. After 30 minutes of simmering, pour the sauce into heat-resistant glass bottles (leaving a 1cm gap at the top), and then sterilize and cool it in an autoclave.
[0057] This method produces a Sichuan peppercorn oil sauce that is rich in aroma and oil, with a strong flavor. It is a strong-aroma Sichuan peppercorn oil sauce because the blanching time is the longest and the simmering time is the longest. The fibers of the Sichuan peppercorn buds are fully softened, and they are no longer crisp but soft and glutinous. This Sichuan peppercorn oil sauce has a large amount of added oil and water, so the sauce is more watery and less thick. This Sichuan peppercorn bud sauce has a rich and full-bodied aroma, and the raw taste of the Sichuan peppercorn buds in the sauce has completely disappeared.
[0058] Example 3:
[0059] This invention also provides a method for preparing green pepper and Sichuan pepper bud sauce, which solves the problem that the numbing substances are easily degraded by heat during processing, resulting in the Sichuan pepper bud sauce not having a prominent numbing flavor. The specific solution is as follows:
[0060] The ingredients are: 45 parts fresh Sichuan pepper buds, 10 parts green peppers, 12 parts vegetable oil, 3.5 parts minced garlic, 2.8 parts minced ginger, 5 parts salt, 2 parts white sugar, 0.8 parts MSG, 2.5 parts sesame seeds, 1.2 parts spice powder, and 0.1 parts citric acid.
[0061] Select fresh pepper buds harvested within 24 hours, remove yellow leaves, old stems and impurities, rinse with running water 2-3 times and drain.
[0062] Put the Sichuan pepper buds into boiling water at 95-100℃ and boil for 2 minutes. After boiling, immediately put them into running cold water to cool to room temperature and drain the surface water.
[0063] After being taken out, immediately put them into running cold water to cool to room temperature and drain the surface water; then, use your hands to chop the pepper buds into small pieces of 0.5-2cm to make pepper bud pieces;
[0064] Add vegetable oil to a wok and control the oil temperature to 150℃. Add green peppers and stir-fry until cooked. Once the green peppers release water and change color, remove them from the wok and drain the oil.
[0065] Control the temperature of the vegetable oil in the pot to 130℃, then add 1 / 2 minced ginger and 1 / 2 minced garlic. After controlling the oil temperature to 100℃, add all the remaining peppercorn buds, minced garlic, minced ginger, salt, sugar, MSG, sesame seeds, spice powder, citric acid, etc. Stir the ingredients in the pot evenly and remove from heat. After filling, sterilize.
[0066] The resulting sauce is a fresh and light Sichuan peppercorn bud sauce, without any burnt aroma. The fresh and natural flavor of the Sichuan peppercorn buds and the original numbing sensation are most prominent. Because the blanching time is the shortest, there is no high-temperature stir-frying throughout the process, and green peppers are added to enhance the flavor, the Sichuan peppercorn buds retain their crisp and tender texture, and the buds are intact. The sauce has a light and delicate oily aroma.
[0067] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Preparation: Select fresh pepper buds within 24 hours of picking, remove yellow leaves, old stems and impurities, rinse with running water and drain. S2. Pretreatment preparation: Put the cleaned pepper buds into boiling water at 95-100℃ and keep the water boiling during the cooking process. The amount of water should be at least 3 times the volume of the pepper buds. S3. Cooling preparation: After taking out the cooked pepper sprouts, immediately put them into cold water to cool to room temperature, then take out the pepper sprouts and drain the surface water. S4. Chopping: After cooling, the pepper buds are chopped into small pieces with a length of 0.5-2cm to obtain pepper bud segments; S5. High-temperature stir-frying: Heat vegetable oil in a wok, add minced ginger, minced garlic and some peppercorn buds, and stir-fry quickly at high temperature; S6. Simmer over low heat: Reduce the oil temperature, add the remaining peppercorn buds and seasonings, and continue to simmer until the sauce becomes a thick paste. S7. Filling and sterilization: Fill the prepared Sichuan peppercorn bud sauce into bottles and sterilize and cool it.
2. The method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S5, the vegetable oil is heated to 150-180°C, and the weight of the portion of pepper buds accounts for 1 / 3-1 / 2 of the total weight of the pepper buds. In step S3, the oil temperature is reduced to 90-120℃, and the cooking time is 20-30 minutes.
3. The method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 5, the following ingredients are used by weight: 100 parts of Sichuan pepper buds, 20-50 parts of vegetable oil, 5-15 parts of minced garlic, and 5-10 parts of minced ginger. In step S6, add 8-15 parts salt, 3-8 parts sugar, 1-3 parts monosodium glutamate, 3-8 parts sesame seeds, 1-4 parts spice powder, 0.1-2 parts antioxidant, 0.1-0.5 parts citric acid, and 10-30 parts water.
4. The method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce according to claim 3, characterized in that: The antioxidant is tea polyphenols; the spice powder is composed of star anise powder and cinnamon powder.
5. The method for preparing Sichuan pepper bud sauce according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ingredients include: 200 parts Sichuan pepper buds, 80 parts vegetable oil, 20 parts minced garlic, 15 parts minced ginger, 20 parts salt, 10 parts white sugar, 3 parts monosodium glutamate, 15 parts white sesame seeds, 2 parts star anise powder, 1 part cinnamon powder, 0.5 parts tea polyphenols, and 0.3 parts citric acid. In step S2, the pepper buds are cooked for 5 minutes; In step S5, the vegetable oil is heated to 175°C, the portion of pepper buds is 68 parts, and the stir-frying time is 4 minutes; In step S6, the oil temperature is lowered to 100°C, the remaining 132 parts of pepper buds and 20 parts of water are added, and the cooking time is 30 minutes, with stirring every 6 minutes.
6. A method for preparing green pepper and Sichuan pepper bud sauce, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: A1. Preparation and pretreatment: Select fresh Sichuan pepper buds, and after washing, preparation, cooling and cutting into sections, obtain Sichuan pepper bud segments; A2. Pre-treatment of auxiliary materials: Heat the vegetable oil to 130-150℃, add green peppers and stir-fry until they release water and change color, then filter out the green peppers and oil for later use. A3. Mixing and simmering: Using the oil processed in step A2, heat it to 130℃, add minced ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Then control the oil temperature to 100℃ and add all the peppercorn buds, salt, sugar, MSG, sesame seeds, spice powder and citric acid. Stir well to obtain the sauce.
7. The method for preparing green pepper and Sichuan pepper bud sauce according to claim 6, characterized in that, The ingredients include: 45 parts fresh Sichuan pepper buds, 10 parts green peppers, 12 parts vegetable oil, 3.5 parts minced garlic, 2.8 parts minced ginger, 5 parts salt, 2 parts white sugar, 0.8 parts monosodium glutamate, 2.5 parts sesame seeds, 1.2 parts spice powder, and 0.1 parts citric acid.