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Pretreating
Fruit With Sodium Bisulfite (Sulfuring)
Sulfuring is the
best antioxidant treatment for preserving color. This method is very
effective.
It will reduce vitamin loss, flavor loss, browning, and deterioration
during
storage. It is not a preservative in itself, but it discourages insects
and microbes, which can cause spoilage. There are 2 methods of
sulfuring,
each with its own advantages and disadvantages:
1. Using sulfur
fumes
Sulfur
fumes are
more effective than sulfur solutions, but this method takes more time
and
special equipment. Fruits sulfured by this method should not be dried
indoors
because the odor of the fumes is unpleasant.
2. Sulfite Solution
Method:
Soaking
fruit in
a sulfite solution is easy. Prepare
a solution of 1 tablespoon sodium bisulfite, or 2 tablespoons sodium
sulfite,
or use 4 tablespoons of sodium metabisulfite to a gallon of water. Soak
slices of fruit for about 5 minutes and halves of fruit for 15 minutes.
When process is complete, remove fruit, rinse lightly under cold tap
water
and place the fruit on the drying trays or absorbent towels. With this
method the pieces of fruit are, however, less thoroughly sulfured than
they are by fumes. Because of the soaking involved, the fruit absorbs
some
water, so the drying time is lengthened. Fruit that is sulfured by this
method may be dried indoors or out.
WARNING - Sulfite-sensitive
individuals should not use this method and should not eat food treated
with sulfur.
It is estimated that 5% of asthmatics are sensitive to sulfites, and an
unknown number of nonasthmatics. The symptoms are sudden attacks of
asthma,
nausea, difficult breathing, diarrhea and even death.
Note: Sodium
bisulfite
is usually available at drugstores and some health food stores. Sodium
sulfite and sodium metabisulfite, available at wine-making shops, may
also
be used.
Steam Blanching
Steam
blanching
fruit is an alternative to sulfuring, but it is not as effective and
more
vitamins are lost and drying takes longer. For these reasons steam
blanching
is not recommended.
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Did You Know?
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For
curing the meat on traditional way farmers usually used pickling salt,
salt peter (sodium nitrate),
white or brown sugar or molasses. These were the necessary
preservatives.
The
others such as boracic acid, borax and soda were
often used for sweetening the brine and to keep it from spoiling
but they are not absolutely essential.
The
salt extracts moisture and
acts as a preservative. The sugar or molasses imparts a nice flavor
and has a tendency to keep the muscle tissue soft in contrast to
the salt, which has a tendency to make it hard and dry. So the salt
and sugar have two distinct functions to perform, the one to harden
and preserve, the other to soften and sweeten.
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