How long will it Take for a Dragon Fruit to Dry?
The cactus family’s dragon fruit blooms and bears fruit between July and December. Fruit is oblong or oval in shape, with a red epidermis and a length of 10-12 cm. The peel is thick and waxy. The pulp is white or red. It is also known as sesame fruit because it contains about 10,000 fragrant sesame seeds.
The name “dragon fruit” comes from its look as a fiery red orb. The pulp inside is sweet cream-like, yet it’s covered in little black seeds and has a light texture and delicate flavor. Protein, dietary fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, and other nutrients are found in abundance in dragon fruit, which is sweet and flat. The pit (the seeds of black sesame seeds) is also high in minerals including calcium, phosphorus, iron, as well as enzymes, albumin, fiber, and natural pigments like anthocyanins (especially red meat).
Dried dragon fruit production process and drying reference process
1. The production process of dried dragon fruit
Raw material selection→cleaning and slicing→color protection, hardening and blanching→deoxidizing throat smell→vacuum candy→drying and softening→packaging of dried fruit
2. Dragon fruit drying reference process
When baking, the two passages in the drying room should pay attention to the material balance, so that the dragon fruit slices are heated evenly. Set the temperature, humidity and other parameters of the dragon fruit dryer and the drying mode. Generally, the best effect is to bake at 55℃-75℃ for 15-20 hours, until the moisture content of the dried fruit is about 10%-15%.
3. The specific drying process of dragon fruit can be completed in four stages:
- The first stage: the temperature is set at 60°C, the humidity is set at 35%, the mode is drying + dehumidification, and the baking time is 2 hours;
- The second stage: the temperature is 65 °C, the humidity is set to 25%, the mode is selected to dry + dehumidification, and the baking is about 8 hours;
- The third stage: the temperature is raised to 70°C, the humidity is set to 15%, the mode is drying + dehumidification, and the baking time is 8 hours;
- The fourth stage: the temperature is set to 60 ℃, the humidity is set to 10%, and the continuous dehumidification mode is baked for about 1 hour.
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