(1) Process Flow: Raw Material Selection → Pickling → Sun Drying → Ingredient Preparation → Soaking → Sun Drying → Sugar Solution Preparation → Drying → Mixing → Packaging.
(2) Key Operational Steps:
1. **Raw Materials**: Choose high-quality Yangmei (waxberries) with thick flesh, large fruit size, and moderate maturity. Remove overripe or underripe fruits to ensure uniform quality.
2. **Pickling**: For every 100 kg of fresh fruit, use 10–12 kg of salt and 0.3 kg of alum. Mix the salt and alum thoroughly before placing the fruit in a container. Layer the fruit with salt, starting with less salt at the bottom and gradually increasing as you go up. Cover the top layer with salt to prevent air exposure. Let the fruit pickle for 5–10 days.
3. **Sun Drying**: After pickling, spread the fruits in the sun to dry under direct sunlight. This helps reduce moisture content and enhances flavor.
4. **Ingredient Preparation**: For every 100 kg of pickled fruit, add 65 kg of sugar, 100 kg of licorice, and 1 kg of spice powder. The spice powder should contain 30% orange peel, 30% licorice powder, 20% cinnamon powder, 15% cumin powder, and 5% cloves.
5. **Soaking**: Place the fruits in a clean water tank and soak them for 5–6 hours. Then transfer them to a bamboo sieve and gently stir in water to wash away any sand or impurities. Finally, rinse the fruits in a bamboo basket and drain the excess water.
6. **Second Sun Drying**: Spread the washed fruits on bamboo sticks and expose them to sunlight until they reach about 80% dryness. Once dried, place them into wooden boxes for further processing.
7. **Sugar Solution Preparation**: Chop the licorice and cook it twice with 20–25 kg of water each time for 30 minutes. Strain the licorice liquid through gauze and mix it with sugar to create a concentrated licorice syrup (60–65% concentration). Pour this syrup into a wooden barrel containing the fruit pieces and let it sit for 1–2 days. Filter the syrup before using it.
8. **Drying the Fruits**: Dry the fruits on a bamboo basket. Apply the licorice sugar solution in 4–5 layers, evenly distributing it over the fruit pieces. Turn the fruits regularly until they are fully dried. Once completely dry, they can be collected.
9. **Spicing**: After drying, mix the fruits with the prepared spice powder to enhance flavor and aroma.
10. **Packaging**: Package the finished product in food-grade plastic bags. Optional packaging in cardboard boxes is also available for bulk storage or retail purposes.
(3) **Quality Requirements**: The final product should have a dark brown color, a sweet and slightly sour taste, and no sticky sugar residue. It must maintain its texture and flavor during storage.
(4) **Degradation Handling**: If fermentation occurs during storage, expose the product to sunlight and frequently turn it to help evaporate moisture. After approximately 4 hours of drying, pour 10 kg of a 60% sugar solution per 100 kg of product. Mix well and continue drying. Once 50% of the moisture has been removed, add a small amount of licorice to the mixture and store it properly for continued use.
This detailed process ensures that the final product maintains its quality, flavor, and shelf life, making it suitable for both consumption and commercial distribution.
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