Preparation method of harm-reducing dried betel nuts

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of areca-nut processing, and discloses a harm-reducing dried areca-nut preparation method which comprises the steps of raw fruit screening and pretreatment, rolling and scattering, soaking and secret pickling, air drying and stirring, forming and reducing, and packaging and inspection: selecting soaked areca-nuts as raw materials, washing with clear water at 30-35 DEG C, draining, pre-drying at 40 DEG C or below, and crushing to obtain areca-nuts; scattering into uniform particles through double-roller rolling equipment; the preparation method comprises the following steps: soaking in soup containing licorice extract and other components at constant temperature, airing, adding a composite edible adhesive, stirring to form a blank, injecting marinade, performing compression molding according to a traditional dry betel nut shape, and performing ultraviolet sterilization and vacuum packaging to obtain a finished product. Damage of traditional areca nut hard fibers to the oral cavity is eliminated from the source, old fruits and residual fruits are efficiently utilized to improve the resource utilization rate, active ingredients of original fruits and traditional eating experience are reserved, the product is safe, healthy and rich in flavor, the technology is suitable for large-scale production, and transformation and upgrading of the areca nut industry are promoted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of areca nut processing technology, specifically relating to a method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut. Background Technology

[0002] Areca nut, a traditional specialty food in southern my country, has seen its industry expand year by year. However, a core problem with the traditional areca nut processing technology has long been a key bottleneck restricting the industry's development. Traditional areca nut processing relies on high-quality green nuts as raw materials. The coarse fibers in green nuts are hard and tough, easily causing repeated friction and scratches to the oral mucosa during chewing. Long-term consumption can pose a potential threat to oral health. This safety hazard has attracted widespread social attention and prompted the government to require the areca nut industry to complete its transformation and upgrading in the short term.

[0003] Meanwhile, traditional processing methods have stringent raw material selection standards. A large number of mature areca nuts (over 12 months old) and slightly damaged areca nuts are discarded because they do not meet processing requirements. This not only causes serious waste of agricultural resources but also directly impacts the economic benefits of areca farmers and exacerbates the resource supply and demand imbalance in the upstream industry. To address the problem of hard fiber damage, areca nut products resembling chewing gum have emerged on the market. However, these products are more like chewing gum, completely losing the traditional eating experience of dried areca nuts. Furthermore, some products suffer from excessive additives, monotonous flavors, and severe homogenization of taste, failing to meet consumers' dual demands for traditional areca nut flavor and safety.

[0004] Currently, there is no technological solution in the industry that can avoid the harm of hard fiber in traditional areca nuts, retain the active ingredients and traditional consumption form of the original fruit, and efficiently utilize old and residual fruit to achieve low-cost, high-quality production. This is unable to respond to the national call for industrial transformation and upgrading, and it is also difficult to fill the market gap for healthy areca nut products. Therefore, developing a harm-reduced areca nut preparation method that combines safety, traditional flavor, and resource utilization has important practical significance and market value. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a method for preparing reduced-harm areca nut dried fruit.

[0006] The present invention adopts the following technical solution: The preparation method of reduced-harm areca nut includes the following steps: (1) Screening and pretreatment of raw fruit: Select areca nuts as the basic raw material, rinse the raw fruit with clean water at 30-35℃ 2-3 times, each rinse lasting 3-5 minutes, and after rinsing, lay the raw fruit flat and let it drain. (2) Crushing and breaking apart: After draining, place the areca nuts in an environment below 40℃ for 30-60 minutes to pre-dry. Then, send them into a double-roll crushing areca nut disintegration equipment. Adjust the gap between the crushing rollers to 0.5-1.5mm and the equipment speed to 300-500r / min. At the same time, maintain the temperature of the equipment cavity ≤40℃ for crushing. After crushing, break the raw material into uniform particles. (3) Soaking and marinating: By weight, mix 1-2 parts of edible salt, 3-5 parts of xylitol, 0.5-1 parts of licorice extract, 0.3-0.5 parts of honeysuckle extract, 0.1-0.2 parts of menthol, 0.05-0.1 parts of vitamin C and 100 parts of purified water to prepare the marinating broth. Add the areca nut granules to the broth at a weight ratio of 1:3-1:5. Soak in an environment of 25-30℃ for 8-12 hours, stirring for 1-2 minutes every 2 hours. (4) Air drying and stirring: Spread the soaked areca nut granules on the conveyor belt of the air drying equipment and air dry for 4-6 hours at 35-45℃ and wind speed of 1.5-2.0m / s. Add edible adhesive, which is a mixture of gum arabic and xanthan gum in a 1:1 weight ratio, to the air-dried granules. The amount added is 0.5%-1.0% of the weight of the granules. Stir to form areca nut blanks. (5) Shaping and reduction: By weight, mix 5-8 parts of areca nut extract, 0.1-0.2 parts of edible flavoring and 20 parts of purified water to prepare brine. After injecting the brine into the areca nut blank, put it into a mold for pressing and shaping. The mold length is 2-3cm and the diameter is 1-1.5cm. The molding temperature is 30-40℃, the pressure is 0.2-0.4MPa and the time is 3-5 minutes. (6) Packaging inspection: The semi-finished product is sterilized by irradiating it with ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 254nm for 30-60 seconds, and then vacuum-packed. The vacuum degree of the packaging is controlled at -0.08~-0.09MPa. After passing the inspection, the harm-reduced dried areca nut is obtained.

[0007] Preferably, in step (1), the draining is to lay the rinsed fruit flat on a draining rack and let it stand for 15-20 minutes, and the moisture content of the fruit after draining is controlled at 20%-25%; the moisture content of the areca nut fruit after pre-drying is reduced to 15%-20%.

[0008] Preferably, in step (2), the particle size of the crushed particles is 2-5mm, and the particles have no hard core and no lumps; the surface of the crushing rollers of the double-roll crushing structure is provided with anti-slip texture to avoid the raw material slipping and affecting the uniformity of crushing.

[0009] Preferably, in step (3), when preparing the marinade, first heat the purified water to 40-50℃ to dissolve the edible salt and xylitol, cool it to 25-30℃ and then add licorice extract, honeysuckle extract, menthol and vitamin C, mix evenly and adjust the pH of the marinade to 5.5-6.5, let it stand for 10-15 minutes before use.

[0010] Preferably, in step (3), the stirring speed during soaking is 50-80 r / min; after soaking, a 100-mesh filter is used to remove excess liquid to ensure that there is no excess liquid on the surface of the areca nut particles.

[0011] Preferably, in step (4), the thickness of the areca nut particles laid on the conveyor belt of the air-drying equipment is 1-2 cm; after air-drying, the moisture content of the areca nut particles is controlled at 8%-12%, and the particles are not sticky and have a dry feel.

[0012] Preferably, in step (4), the stirring is carried out in the equipment cavity at a temperature ≤35℃, the stirring speed is 200-300r / min, and the stirring time is 10-15 minutes, to ensure that the adhesive and areca nut particles are fully mixed to form a uniform blank.

[0013] Preferably, in step (5), the brine is filtered through a 100-mesh filter to remove impurities after preparation; the amount of brine injected is 5%-8% of the weight of the areca nut blank, and a pressure of 0.3-0.5 MPa is used during brine injection to ensure that the brine penetrates evenly into the blank.

[0014] Preferably, in step (5), the mold is made of food-grade silicone material; the semi-finished product after molding is first cooled to below 25°C before entering the sterilization process to avoid the high temperature semi-finished product affecting the sterilization effect.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: This invention utilizes a "pre-drying-double-roller crushing-dispersing" process to break down the hard fiber structure of traditional dried areca nuts, resulting in soft, granular pulp without a hard core or lumps. This fundamentally avoids the frictional damage to the oral mucosa caused by coarse fibers during chewing. At the same time, the natural ingredients such as licorice extract and honeysuckle extract added to the marinating broth can soothe the oral mucosa and reduce irritation, while vitamin C can enhance the product's antioxidant properties, forming a dual protection of "physical harm reduction + ingredient assistance," significantly improving safety compared to traditional dried areca nuts.

[0016] This invention uses previously discarded old and damaged fruit as core raw materials. Through precise screening, cleaning, and subsequent processing, these low-value raw materials are transformed into products of higher quality than traditional high-quality green fruit products. This not only reduces the waste of agricultural resources but also lowers the cost of raw material procurement, effectively improving the economic benefits for betel nut farmers and contributing to the sustainable development of the upstream industry.

[0017] This invention uses a mold-forming process to recreate the shape and size of traditional dried areca nuts, avoiding the drawbacks of "saccharification" in areca nut and providing consumers with a more traditional eating experience. At the same time, it employs a dual flavor-enhancing process of "soaking and marinating + brine injection," where the components of the broth and brine work synergistically to create a richer flavor profile. Furthermore, the low-temperature process throughout the entire process maximizes the preservation of active ingredients such as arecoline and arecoline in the original areca nut, ensuring that the product retains both flavor and nutrition. Attached Figure Description

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

[0019] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be noted that these embodiments are intended to illustrate the specific implementation process of this invention, and the scope of protection of this invention is not limited thereto.

[0020] I. Selection and Pretreatment of Raw Fruits Areca nuts are selected as the basic raw material. Priority is given to old and damaged nuts aged 12-18 months that are often discarded in traditional areca nut processing. The damaged area of ​​the peel is controlled between 5% and 20%, and the weight of the nuts is about 70%-90% of the average weight of standard green nuts. They are free from mold, insect infestation, and heavy metal contamination.

[0021] The selected raw fruit is fed into a washing machine and rinsed 2-3 times continuously with clean water at 30-35℃, each rinse lasting 3-5 minutes, with a stable water flow rate to ensure that the surface mud, residual salt, and impurities are thoroughly rinsed away. After rinsing, the raw fruit is laid flat on a draining rack and left to stand for 15-20 minutes until the moisture content of the raw material drops to 20%-25%, feeling slightly damp but not dripping wet.

[0022] 2. Rolling and breaking up Place the drained areca nuts into a constant temperature drying oven and pre-dry them at a temperature below 40℃ for 30-60 minutes. During the process, check the condition of the raw materials regularly, and remove them when the moisture content drops to 15%-20%, they feel slightly dry to the touch, and they are no longer sticky.

[0023] The pre-dried areca nuts are fed into our proprietary areca nut disintegration equipment. This equipment employs a double-roller crushing structure, with the roller gap adjusted to 0.5-1.5mm and the rotation speed controlled at 300-500 r / min. During the crushing process, the equipment chamber temperature is maintained below 40℃ to prevent the degradation of active ingredients such as arecoline and arecoline in the areca nut due to high temperatures. After crushing, the raw material is further broken down to obtain uniformly sized 2-5mm fruit pulp particles. These particles are free of hard cores and clumps, ensuring sufficient penetration of the syrup in subsequent processes while preserving the basic structure of the fruit pulp.

[0024] III. Soaking and Marinating First, prepare the marinade: Heat 100 parts of purified water to 40-50℃, add 1-2 parts of edible salt and 3-5 parts of xylitol, and stir continuously with a stirrer until the solids are completely dissolved. Then, cool the marinade to 25-30℃, and add 0.5-1 parts of licorice extract, 0.3-0.5 parts of honeysuckle extract, 0.1-0.2 parts of menthol, and 0.05-0.1 parts of vitamin C in sequence. Continue stirring until well mixed, then adjust the pH of the marinade to 5.5-6.5 with a pH adjuster, and let it stand for 10-15 minutes to allow the ingredients to fully blend.

[0025] Add areca nut granules to the prepared broth at a ratio of 1:3 to 1:5 (raw material weight to broth weight), and soak in a constant temperature soaking tank at 25-30℃ for 8-12 hours. During soaking, stir for 1-2 minutes every 2 hours at a speed of 50-80 rpm to ensure that each areca nut granule absorbs the broth components evenly. After soaking, filter out excess broth through a 100-mesh filter to obtain fully soaked areca nut granules.

[0026] IV. Air-drying and stirring Spread the soaked areca nut granules evenly on the conveyor belt of the air-drying equipment, controlling the layer thickness to 1-2 cm to avoid uneven drying due to excessive thickness. Set the air-drying temperature to 35-45℃ and the air speed to 1.5-2.0 m / s, and continue air-drying for 4-6 hours. During the process, maintain air circulation inside the equipment and monitor the moisture content of the raw materials in real time. Stop air-drying when the moisture content drops to 8%-12% and the granules feel dry and not sticky to the touch.

[0027] Add an edible binder—a mixture of gum arabic and xanthan gum in a 1:1 ratio—to the air-dried areca nut granules, at a rate of 0.5%-1.0% of the raw material weight. Feed the mixture into a mixing device and stir at 200-300 rpm for 10-15 minutes. During stirring, maintain the temperature of the device cavity below 35°C to prevent the binder from losing its adhesiveness due to high temperatures. After stirring, a uniform areca nut blank with a certain degree of viscosity is obtained.

[0028] V. Molding and Restoration First, prepare the brine: Mix 5-8 parts of areca nut extract, 0.1-0.2 parts of edible flavoring, and 20 parts of purified water. Filter out impurities using a strainer and set aside. Feed the areca nut blank into an extruder and inject the brine into the blank using the extruder's built-in brine injection device. The injection volume should be 5%-8% of the blank's weight, and the injection pressure should be kept stable at 0.3-0.5 MPa to ensure the brine penetrates evenly into the blank, enhancing the product's flavor.

[0029] After the brine is injected, the blank is fed into a forming machine. A mold that mimics the shape of traditional dried areca nuts is selected—the mold length is set to 2-3cm, and the diameter is 1-1.5cm, similar in size to traditional dried areca nuts. The forming temperature is set to 30-40℃, the forming pressure to 0.2-0.4MPa, and the pressing time to 3-5 minutes, allowing the blank to fully solidify within the mold. After forming, a preliminary inspection is conducted by both manual and mechanical means to remove irregularly shaped or unevenly dense semi-finished products, retaining only the complete and qualified semi-finished products.

[0030] VI. Packaging Inspection The qualified semi-finished products are sent into the ultraviolet sterilization equipment and irradiated with ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 254nm for 30-60 seconds to kill any microorganisms that may exist on the surface of the semi-finished products, ensuring the hygiene and safety of the products.

[0031] After sterilization, the product is vacuum-packed using a food-grade composite film. The inner layer of the composite film is polyethylene, and the outer layer is polyester film, which provides moisture-proof, anti-oxidation, and light-proof functions, and meets the GB4806 standard for food contact materials. During packaging, the vacuum level is controlled at -0.08 to -0.09 MPa to ensure that there is no excess air inside the packaging. The production date, shelf life, ingredient list, and other product information are clearly marked on the outside of the packaging.

[0032] Finally, factory inspections are conducted: Sensory inspection requires the product to have a uniform color, dark brown or reddish-brown, no off-odors, intact shape, and no obvious impurities; physicochemical inspection requires a moisture content between 8% and 12%, a pH value between 5.5 and 6.5, a salt content not exceeding 1.5%, and heavy metal content meeting standards; microbiological inspection requires a total bacterial count not exceeding 100 cfu / g, coliform bacteria not exceeding 30 MPN / 100g, and no detectable pathogenic bacteria. Qualified products are stored in a cool, dry warehouse with a temperature controlled at 22℃ and a relative humidity not exceeding 60%, providing a shelf life of up to 12 months.

[0033] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Selection and pretreatment of raw fruit: Select areca nuts as the base material, rinse the raw fruit with clean water at 30-35℃ 2-3 times, each rinse lasting 3-5 minutes, and after rinsing, lay the raw fruit flat and let it drain. (2) Crushing and breaking apart: After draining, place the areca nuts in an environment below 40℃ for pre-drying for 30-60 minutes, and then send them into a double-roll crushing areca nut disintegration equipment. Adjust the gap between the crushing rollers to 0.5-1.5mm and the equipment speed to 300-500r / min. At the same time, maintain the temperature of the equipment cavity ≤40℃ for crushing. After crushing, break the raw material into uniform particles. (3) Soaking and marinating: By weight, mix 1-2 parts of edible salt, 3-5 parts of xylitol, 0.5-1 parts of licorice extract, 0.3-0.5 parts of honeysuckle extract, 0.1-0.2 parts of menthol, 0.05-0.1 parts of vitamin C and 100 parts of purified water to prepare the marinating broth. Add the areca nut granules to the broth at a weight ratio of 1:3-1:

5. Soak in an environment of 25-30℃ for 8-12 hours, stirring for 1-2 minutes every 2 hours. (4) Air drying and stirring: Spread the soaked areca nut granules on the conveyor belt of the air drying equipment and air dry for 4-6 hours at 35-45℃ and wind speed of 1.5-2.0m / s. Add edible adhesive, which is a mixture of gum arabic and xanthan gum in a 1:1 weight ratio, to the air-dried granules. The amount added is 0.5%-1.0% of the weight of the granules. Stir to form areca nut blanks. (5) Molding and reduction: By weight, mix 5-8 parts of areca nut extract, 0.1-0.2 parts of edible flavoring and 20 parts of purified water to prepare brine. After injecting the brine into the areca nut blank, put it into a mold for pressing and shaping. The mold length is 2-3cm and the diameter is 1-1.5cm. The molding temperature is 30-40℃, the pressure is 0.2-0.4MPa and the time is 3-5 minutes. (6) Packaging inspection: The semi-finished product is sterilized by irradiating it with ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 254nm for 30-60 seconds, and then vacuum-packed. The vacuum degree of the packaging is controlled at -0.08~-0.09MPa. After passing the inspection, the harm-reduced dried areca nut is obtained.

2. The method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (1), the draining process involves spreading the rinsed fruit flat on a draining rack and letting it stand for 15-20 minutes. After draining, the moisture content of the fruit is controlled at 20%-25%. After pre-drying, the moisture content of the areca nut fruit is reduced to 15%-20%.

3. The method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (2), the particle size of the crushed particles is 2-5mm, and the particles have no hard core and no lumps; the surface of the crushing rollers of the double-roll crushing structure is provided with anti-slip texture to avoid the raw material slipping and affecting the uniformity of crushing.

4. The method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (3), when preparing the marinade, first heat the purified water to 40-50℃ to dissolve the edible salt and xylitol, cool it to 25-30℃, and then add licorice extract, honeysuckle extract, menthol and vitamin C. After mixing evenly, adjust the pH of the marinade to 5.5-6.5, let it stand for 10-15 minutes, and then use it.

5. The method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (3), the stirring speed during soaking is 50-80 r / min; after soaking, use a 100-mesh filter to remove excess liquid and ensure that there is no excess liquid on the surface of the areca nut particles.

6. The method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), the thickness of the areca nut granules laid on the conveyor belt of the air-drying equipment is 1-2cm; after air-drying, the moisture content of the areca nut granules is controlled at 8%-12%, and the granules are not sticky and have a dry feel.

7. The method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), the stirring is carried out in the equipment cavity at a temperature ≤35℃, the stirring speed is 200-300r / min, and the stirring time is 10-15 minutes to ensure that the adhesive and areca nut particles are fully mixed to form a uniform blank.

8. The method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (5), the brine is filtered through a 100-mesh filter to remove impurities after preparation; the amount of brine injected is 5%-8% of the weight of the areca nut blank, and a pressure of 0.3-0.5MPa is used during injection to ensure that the brine penetrates evenly into the blank.

9. The method for preparing harm-reduced dried areca nut according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (5), the mold is made of food-grade silicone. The semi-finished product after molding is first cooled to below 25°C before entering the sterilization process to avoid the high temperature semi-finished product affecting the sterilization effect.

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