Apricot Jam Processing

1. Jam products are mostly high sugar and high acid products. Generally, raw fruits with high pectin content are used for processing. Using pectin, sugar and acid in a certain proportion can form a good gel effect, giving jam products a unique shape.
2. Apricot jam is a jam made from apricots, sugar and lemons acids. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, it has certain effects of moistening the lungs and relieving cough, and producing fluid and quenching thirst. It can relieve the whole body fatigue caused by deficiency of qi and blood, and can eliminate the cough caused by lung heat. From a nutritional point of view, this food is also rich in vitamin C and cellulose, which can not only delay skin aging, but also promote intestinal peristalsis, improve constipation, and lower blood pressure.
3. The apricot jam processing machine is also suitable for producing similar products like plum jam and peach jam as these fruits have similar features.
4. The main machines used for apricot jam are apricot washing and sorting machine, apricot pitting machine, crushed apricot preheating and softening machine, apricot pulping machine, apricot pulp blending and concentrating machine, apricot jam bottling or canning machine and apricot jam in container secondary pasteurizing machine.
5. Most of the apricot jam can be filled into glass jars or metal cans with volumes ranging from 250g to 2500g. And the capacity is 200kg-5000kg per batch or per hour.

Raw apricot selection→raw apricot cleaning→half cutting, pitting and trimming→apricot softening, beating→apricot pulp heating and concentration→apricot jam canning, sealing→apricot jam sterilization, cooling→inspection→labeling→finished product.

Choose fresh apricots that are free from pests and diseases, mildew and deterioration, and 80% mature degree.

Fresh apricot will be cleaned by high-pressure water spraying and brush washing machine, then transfer to roller conveyor for checking the quality of the fresh apricot fruits.

peeling can be done by dipping in alkali peeling method, immersing the fruit in 10%-15% sodium hydroxide solution and cooking for 5-10 minutes, and rinsing with plenty of water immediately after peeling. For apricot half cutting and pitting, we have machines to finish this process.

Add 10%-20% of the pulp in water, heat and boil in a jacketed pot for 5-10 minutes, subject to the softening of the fruit pieces and easy beating; then use a beating machine with a sieve aperture of 0.7-1.5 mm to beat for 1-3 times.

Apricot jam can be block or puree type. Different apricot jams have different ratios of pulp and sugar. If making block jam, the ratio of apricot to white sugar is 4:5, and if making puree sauce, the ratio of apricot to white sugar is 7:8. The pulp after beating is put into a jacketed pot, and is prepared according to 500 kg of pulp, 600 kg of granulated sugar (20% of which is replaced by starch syrup), and 0.8 kg of citric acid. Concentrate to 66% soluble solids and serve. The concentration temperature can reach 85℃ when for the concentration process, so it can also have an effect on the pasteurization of the jam.

The glass jars/cans must be sterilized before filling. The temperature of the apricot jam for canning is ≥85℃, and the cans should be sealed quickly after filling. Sometimes, to extend the shelf life of the products, vacuum sealing or liquid nitrogen injection technology will be applied.

sterilize the apricot jam at 100°C for 5-15 minutes, and then quickly cool down to 38°C by spraying water in stages after sterilization by the tunnel sterilizer.

Sensory indicators color: the sauce body is orange-yellow; taste and smell: it has the unique flavor of apricot jam, no burnt smell and other peculiar smell; organization form: the sauce body is sticky, can flow slowly, does not secrete juice, and is sugar-free crystal.

Physical and chemical indicators: Soluble solids (measured by refractometer) ≥ 65%; total sugar content ≥ 55%