Production process of asparagus slice

Abstract

This invention discloses a production process for Asparagus root slices. It optimizes the existing production process of Asparagus root and has a higher average recovery rate and better appearance compared with the existing production process, which can further improve the economic benefits of Chinese medicine production enterprises.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of traditional Chinese medicine processing technology, specifically to a process for producing Asparagus root slices. Background Technology

[0002] Asparagus root, this product is a processed dried tuberous root of *Asparagus cochinchinensis* (Lour.) Merr., a plant belonging to the Liliaceae family. It is long and spindle-shaped, slightly curved, 5–18 cm long, with smaller segments 0.5–2 cm in diameter. It is hard or soft, sticky, with a horny cross-section and a yellowish-white central column. Thin slices are pale yellowish-brown, revealing the yellowish-white central column. The best quality is yellowish-white and translucent. Asparagus root contains asparagine, β-steroidal alcohol, steroidal saponins, mucilage, furfural derivatives, and other components.

[0003] Currently, the processing of asparagus includes selection, washing, cutting, drying, and screening. However, because asparagus contains sugars and amino acids, when the humidity in the air is high, these components absorb water molecules from the air, forming a sticky substance that adheres to the surface of the asparagus. This makes it sticky, causing the asparagus to stick together during washing and moistening, making it difficult for the internal asparagus to come into contact with water. This affects both the moistening effect and subsequent processing. On the other hand, after washing and moistening, the overall texture of asparagus is too soft or not soft enough. Cutting it at this time results in irregularly shaped slices with cracks in the center, producing more defective fragments. Ultimately, this leads to a less than ideal average recovery rate of the produced asparagus slices. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a production process for asparagus slices, which solves the problems of existing asparagus production processes where direct washing and moistening of asparagus can easily cause the asparagus to stick together and clump, resulting in the asparagus inside the clumps being too soft or not softened to a good degree after washing and moistening; and the problem that directly cutting the softened asparagus after washing and moistening can easily cause the cut slices to be irregular in shape, cracked in the center of the slices, and produce a lot of defective fragments, resulting in a less than ideal average recovery rate of asparagus produced.

[0005] The production process of the asparagus slices includes the following steps:

[0006] S1 removes foreign objects, mud, mold, insects and other impurities from the Asparagus medicinal material to ensure that the impurities in the clean medicinal material are ≤3.0%. The clean medicinal material after selection is placed in a turnover container, sampled and tested, and the rest is washed and moistened.

[0007] S2 Selected Asparagus medicinal materials are soaked in drinking water for 10-30 minutes, moistened for 12-16 hours, and then dried.

[0008] S3 Break the moistened asparagus into individual strips and spread them on the drying cart tray in a thickness of 2-4 cm. Dry at 50-55 degrees Celsius for 4-6 hours. Turn the material over as needed during the drying process. Then cut it into pieces.

[0009] S4 involves slicing dried Asparagus medicinal materials into thin slices 1-2 mm thick;

[0010] S5. Spread the cut asparagus on the drying cart tray in a thickness of 2-4 cm, and dry at 50-55 degrees Celsius for 6-8 hours. Turn the material over as needed during the drying process.

[0011] S6 uses a 10-20 mesh sieve to screen the Asparagus slices, ensuring that the content of medicinal debris and ash in the screened slices is ≤3%. The screened Asparagus slices are sampled and tested. After passing the test, they are packaged to obtain the finished Asparagus slices.

[0012] Furthermore, the method of moistening the medicine is any one of rinsing, washing, soaking, air-drying, immersion, covering, lying down, or dew-drying.

[0013] Furthermore, the tests include moisture testing, sulfur dioxide residue testing, and leachate testing.

[0014] Furthermore, the testing methods used in the inspection and the evaluation criteria for the test results are in accordance with national or industry standards.

[0015] Furthermore, the packaging includes inner packaging and outer packaging.

[0016] The significant beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0017] (1) The present invention improves the existing processing technology of Asparagus, mainly by soaking Asparagus before washing and moistening to remove the sticky substances on the surface of Asparagus, preventing Asparagus from sticking together and ensuring the moistening effect. After washing and moistening, a drying process is added to improve the texture of Asparagus, so that the Asparagus slices cut later are regular in shape and do not stick together, the center of the slices does not crack, there are fewer fragments, the finished product of the slices has a better appearance and a higher average recovery rate. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a process flow diagram of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to the scope shown in the embodiments. These embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, after reading the contents of this invention, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent changes also fall within the scope defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation Method 1

[0021] A process for producing asparagus slices includes the following steps:

[0022] S1 removes foreign objects, mud, mold, insects and other impurities from the Asparagus medicinal material to ensure that the impurities in the clean medicinal material are ≤3.0%. The clean medicinal material after selection is placed in a turnover container, sampled and tested, and the rest is washed and moistened.

[0023] S2 The selected asparagus medicinal materials are soaked in drinking water for 10 minutes, moistened for 12 hours, and then dried.

[0024] S3 breaks the moistened asparagus into individual strips, spreads them on a drying cart tray with a thickness of 2 cm, and dries them at 50 degrees Celsius for 4 hours. During the drying process, the material is turned over as needed before cutting.

[0025] S4 cuts the dried Asparagus medicinal material into 1 mm thick slices;

[0026] S5 spreads the cut asparagus into a 2 cm thick layer on the drying cart tray and dries it at 50 degrees Celsius for 6 hours. During the drying process, the material is turned over as needed.

[0027] S6 uses a 10-mesh sieve to screen the Asparagus slices to ensure that the content of medicinal debris and ash in the screened slices is ≤3%. The screened Asparagus slices are sampled and tested. After passing the test, they are packaged to obtain the finished Asparagus slices.

[0028] Furthermore, the method of applying the medicine is by rinsing.

[0029] Furthermore, the tests include moisture testing, sulfur dioxide residue testing, and leachate testing.

[0030] Furthermore, the testing methods used in the inspection and the evaluation criteria for the test results are in accordance with national or industry standards.

[0031] Furthermore, the packaging includes inner packaging and outer packaging. Detailed Implementation Method 2

[0033] A process for producing asparagus slices includes the following steps:

[0034] S1 removes foreign objects, mud, mold, insects and other impurities from the Asparagus medicinal material to ensure that the impurities in the clean medicinal material are ≤3.0%. The clean medicinal material after selection is placed in a turnover container, sampled and tested, and the rest is washed and moistened.

[0035] S2 The selected asparagus medicinal materials are soaked in drinking water for 30 minutes, moistened for 16 hours, and then dried.

[0036] S3 breaks the moistened asparagus into individual strips, spreads them on a drying cart tray with a thickness of 4 cm, and dries them at 55 degrees Celsius for 6 hours. During the drying process, the material is turned over as needed before cutting.

[0037] S4 cuts the dried Asparagus medicinal material into 2 mm thick slices;

[0038] S5 spreads the cut asparagus into a 4 cm thick layer on the drying cart tray and dries it at 55 degrees Celsius for 8 hours. During the drying process, the material is turned over as needed.

[0039] S6 uses a 20-mesh sieve to screen the Asparagus slices to ensure that the content of medicinal debris and ash in the screened slices is ≤3%. The screened Asparagus slices are sampled and tested. After passing the test, they are packaged to obtain the finished Asparagus slices.

[0040] Furthermore, the method of moistening the medicine is washing and moistening.

[0041] Furthermore, the tests include moisture testing, sulfur dioxide residue testing, and leachate testing.

[0042] Furthermore, the testing methods used in the inspection and the evaluation criteria for the test results are in accordance with national or industry standards.

[0043] Furthermore, the packaging includes inner packaging and outer packaging. Detailed Implementation Method 3

[0045] A process for producing asparagus slices includes the following steps:

[0046] S1 removes foreign objects, mud, mold, insects and other impurities from the Asparagus medicinal material to ensure that the impurities in the clean medicinal material are ≤3.0%. The clean medicinal material after selection is placed in a turnover container, sampled and tested, and the rest is washed and moistened.

[0047] S2 The selected asparagus medicinal materials are soaked in drinking water for 20 minutes, moistened for 14 hours, and then dried.

[0048] S3 breaks the moistened asparagus into individual strips, spreads them on a drying cart tray with a thickness of 3 cm, and dries them at 55 degrees Celsius for 5 hours. During the drying process, the material is turned over as needed before cutting.

[0049] S4 cuts the dried Asparagus medicinal material into 2 mm thick slices;

[0050] S5 spreads the cut asparagus into a 3 cm thick layer on the drying cart tray and dries it at 55 degrees Celsius for 7 hours. During the drying process, the material is turned over as needed.

[0051] S6 uses a 10-mesh sieve to screen the Asparagus slices to ensure that the content of medicinal debris and ash in the screened slices is ≤3%. The screened Asparagus slices are sampled and tested. After passing the test, they are packaged to obtain the finished Asparagus slices.

[0052] Furthermore, the method of moistening the medicine is to cover and moisten it.

[0053] Furthermore, the tests include moisture testing, sulfur dioxide residue testing, and leachate testing.

[0054] Furthermore, the testing methods used in the inspection and the evaluation criteria for the test results are in accordance with national or industry standards.

[0055] Furthermore, the packaging includes inner packaging and outer packaging.

[0056] Research on the advantages of the new process compared to the traditional process:

[0057] Raw materials were randomly selected from the warehouse and processed in chronological order: six batches: 20230201, 20230401, 20230402, 20230403, 20230501, and 20230601. Batches 20230201, 20230401, and 20230402 were produced according to the manufacturing process outlined in the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Batches 20230403, 20230501, and 20230601 were produced according to the new process described in Specific Implementation Method 3. During the production process, relevant parameters were monitored and recorded.

[0058] The main production equipment used for the six batches of raw materials is shown in Table 1.

[0059] Table 1,

[0060] Equipment Name model CNC high-speed reciprocating cutting machine SQY-380 model Intelligent linear reciprocating medicine cutting machine ZQRZG-300BC Tunnel-type steam drying room FYJ-A type Circulating Chinese herbal medicine drying room XZHX-7455 model Vibrating screen SRZ-3B

[0061] Table 2 shows the main production parameters of the six batches that were detected and recorded during the production process.

[0062] Table 2,

[0063]

[0064] Data Analysis and Conclusions

[0065] As shown in Table 2, the recovery rate and average recovery rate of the three batches produced using the new process are significantly improved compared to the traditional process, and the finished products also have a better appearance.

[0066] After analysis, the main reasons for this phenomenon are as follows:

[0067] Traditional processes directly moisten the selected asparagus. However, asparagus contains sugars and amino acids, which absorb water molecules when the humidity is high, forming a sticky substance that adheres to the surface. This stickiness causes the asparagus to clump together during washing, making it difficult for the internal parts to come into contact with water. This affects both the moistening effect and subsequent processes. The new process soaks the asparagus before moistening, effectively removing the sticky substance from the surface, preventing adhesion, and ensuring the quality of the moistening process.

[0068] Traditional processing involves directly slicing asparagus after washing and moistening. Because the surface of the asparagus is still sticky and the interior is hard and not fully moistened, the slices are often irregular in shape, clump together, crack in the center, and produce many defective fragments, resulting in waste and affecting the final product weight. Ultimately, this leads to a less than ideal average recovery rate of the asparagus slices. The new process, however, dries the asparagus before slicing, keeping it soft and elastic with a dry, non-sticky surface. Under the pressure of the cutter, the asparagus does not deform or crack significantly, resulting in thin slices without cracking in the center and fewer fragments. This effectively increases the weight of the finished product and thus improves the average recovery rate of the asparagus slices.

Claims

1. A process for producing asparagus slices, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1 removes foreign objects, mud, mold, insects and other impurities from the Asparagus medicinal material to ensure that the impurities in the clean medicinal material are ≤3.0%. The clean medicinal material after selection is placed in a turnover container, sampled and tested, and the rest is washed and moistened. S2 Selected Asparagus medicinal materials are soaked in drinking water for 10-30 minutes, moistened for 12-16 hours, and then dried. S3 Break the moistened asparagus into individual strips and spread them on the drying cart tray in a thickness of 2-4 cm. Dry at 50-55 degrees Celsius for 4-6 hours. Turn the material over as needed during the drying process. Then cut it into pieces. S4 involves slicing dried Asparagus medicinal materials into thin slices 1-2 mm thick; S5. Spread the cut asparagus on the drying cart tray in a thickness of 2-4 cm, and dry at 50-55 degrees Celsius for 6-8 hours. Turn the material over as needed during the drying process. S6 uses a 10-20 mesh sieve to screen the Asparagus slices to ensure that the content of medicinal debris and ash in the screened slices is ≤3%. The screened Asparagus slices are sampled and tested. After passing the test, they are packaged to obtain the finished Asparagus slices. The method of moistening the medicine is any one of rinsing, washing, or covering.

2. The production process of Asparagus slices according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tests include moisture content testing, sulfur dioxide residue testing, and leachate testing.

3. The production process of Asparagus slices according to claim 2, characterized in that: The testing methods used in the inspection and the evaluation criteria for the test results shall be in accordance with national or industry standards.

4. The production process of Asparagus slices according to claim 1, characterized in that: The packaging includes inner packaging and outer packaging.

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