Abstract:

In this study, sweet calabash was used as raw material to develop a low-salt sweet calabash pickle by dynamic vacuum pickling method. The pickling process was optimized via orthogonal test. And the qualities of sweet calabash products pickled by traditional method and this method were compared. The results indicated that both temperature and vacuum degree affect significantly quality of sweet calabash pickle. The optimum pickling parameters are as follows: temperature 20 ℃, vacuum degree 85 kPa, rotational speed of agitating shaft 1 r/min and salt concentration 2%. The dynamic vacuum pickling method is better than traditional pickling method in terms of sensory evaluation, edibility, edible nutrition and safety. Moreover, due to shorter processing period of dynamic vacuum pickling method, it is more suitable for mass production in practice.

Key words: sweet calabash, dynamic vacuum pickling, process, sensory quality