Almonds are dried products of ordinary almonds, the kernels are white, there are light yellow thin coats, flat chicken heart shape, bitter almonds and sweet almonds. Bitter almonds are slightly toxic due to their hydrocyanic acid content, can not be eaten directly, and are supplied to medicine or used in industry. Sweet almonds are a high-grade food that not only has high nutritional value, but also has a special fragrance. Fried or fried, crisp and delicious, is a treasure in the fried goods, made of almond tea, almond cream, almond flour, etc., is a traditional food with a unique flavor in China, as an accessory into Chinese and Western dishes, candy, chocolate, cold drinks and a variety of pastry food, all add flavor, popularity.
Apricots, native to our country. The consumption of almonds has been studied in ancient times, and the Book of Han has a record of "teaching people to cook apricot cheese". Ancient Romans also used almonds to accompany wine, and almonds are still a commonly used side food in Europe, America and Japan, and are important foreign trade commodities in China. Almonds are sold throughout the country throughout the year, and even more in southern cities.
Ordinary apricots are deciduous trees of the genus Rosaceae, which are divided into types such as fruit, kernel and nut combination according to different uses. Apricots with kernels or nuts, the fruit is characterized by small, flat round or pointed round, thin flesh, less juice, 20 to 30 per kilogram. The fruit of wild apricot (also known as "mountain apricot") is round, the flesh is thin, hard, bitter, and can reach as many as 50 to 60 per kilogram, which is specially used for kernels.
Harvesting and drying. The fruit ripening period of ordinary apricots varies according to the variety and region: the early hot varieties mature in early June, while most varieties are as late as July and August. The fruit of the kernel should be harvested when it is fully heated, and the signs of timely harvesting are: the fruit is red and yellow, the flesh is slightly swollen, and it will fall at the touch. Where the fruit type is larger, the flesh is thicker, the water is less, and the apricots can be separated by the flesh core, and the dried apricots can be dried. Peel off the flesh, take the core to cool and dry it thoroughly, shake the core by hand, most of the time there is a noise, you can manually smash the kernel or use the machine to shell the kernel. The mountain apricot cause and effect meat can not be eaten, after accumulation, watered or covered with hay, so that the apricot meat rots, and then dried to take the kernel. Generally, three pounds of dried fruit cores can be taken about one pound of kernels.
Origin and variety. Apricots adapt to the continental climate, China's Hebei Province Zhangjiakou area, Beijing suburbs and southern Xinjiang and other places are the traditional main production areas of almonds in China, followed by Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Liaoning and other provinces also have more production. There are many varieties of almonds, and the main varieties of common sweet almonds are as follows:
Bai Yu bian, Dragon King Hat, Beishan Dabian (Beishan Daxing), Yihui Bee (Sub-Bian), Jiu Dao Mei, Kuang Xing, And Zhongxing.
The excellent varieties of almonds in China are concentrated in Hebei Province and Beijing Municipality, of which baiyu bian is preferred, but the number is not much; Beishan Dabian has a large yield and good quality, with an oil content of up to 56%, and the large grain can be stacked with seven or eight grains without falling. In addition, there are varieties such as Huangjianzui, Taobian, Reed Dianbian and Huabianzi, which are mainly distributed in Kucha and Luntai in Xinjiang, Chifeng City and Tongliao City in Inner Mongolia, Weinan Region in Shaanxi, Changwei Region in Shandong, Southeast Jindongnan Region in Shanxi, Yingkou City and Chaoyang District in Liaoning.
Bitter almonds are generally divided into two categories according to their appearance, flat kernels and rolling kernels, of which flat kernels are divided into mountain almonds and home almonds, and the main features are as follows:
Almonds: smaller granules, brownish yellow.
Home almonds: also known as bitter flatten, slightly larger than mountain almonds, pale yellow.
Rolling kernels: the shape is rounded, the grains are fine, and the dark yellow color.
Specification grades. There are many varieties of almonds, and the classification methods of different places are different, some are divided into first and second grades, and some are divided into sweet large pieces, large and medium slices, Xinjiang apricots, etc. According to the size of the pieces, the specifications of the main production areas are as follows:
Sweet almond grade: the kernels are full and complete, the skin is white and yellow, the kernel flesh is white, there is no insect moth, no mildew plasmids, no heterogeneous granules (referring to bitter almonds), no peculiar smell and no impurities, no more than 4% of broken grains, no more than 1% of dried grains, no less than 95% of perfect grains, and no more than 8.5% of moisture.
Sweet almond secondary: the kernel is full and complete, the outer skin is white and yellow, the kernel flesh is white, there is no insect moth, no peculiar smell, the xeno grain does not exceed 2%, the impurity does not exceed 1%, the broken grain does not exceed 6%, the dried grain does not exceed 3%, the mold grain does not exceed 2%, the perfect grain is not less than 87%, and the moisture does not exceed 8.5%.
Inspection. Testing almonds begins with determining their variety and tasting it, whether it is sweet or bitter. The key points of the sensory test are as follows:
Dry humidity: The normal moisture content of almonds is about 8%. Wet and dry moderate, into a tight grip, the tip of the kernel, the hand into the center of the package, the feel of loose; put a handful of almonds on the sloping wooden board, slip down fast, jump high, the sound is crisp; use the index finger to fold the tip of the kernel, crisp and easy to break, and vice versa.
Granules: Good almond granules are flattened, kernels are full, and poor granules are small and thin.
Color: Good ren clothes are thin and easy to remove; the color of ren clothes varies according to the variety, but it is eye-catching and fresh, and the kernel clothes are gray or poor with wilt. The color of the kernel is white and pure, the taste is sweet, and it has a clear fragrance.
In addition, pay attention to the presence of small holes in the surface of the kernel, immature dry and deflated animals, and mold with white spots.
In the test, it is particularly necessary to pay attention to the mixture of sweet and bitter almonds, generally bitter almonds in addition to bitter taste, their appearance is similar to the small ones in the middle apricot varieties, the main characteristics are: small particles, dark yellow clothing, and full and swollen kernels.
conscience
September 13, 2021