Preservation and Quality Improvement of Mid-Autumn Mooncakes (Part 2)

Problem 5, no oil return, no transparency

Reasons: The concentration of invert syrup is too low, and the amount added is too small; the addition of sausage water is too small, and the bulkiness is not enough; the amount of oil added is too small; the flour gluten is too large; the oil and water content of the filling is too low; the baking is too dry

Solution: The sugar content of the invert syrup is 78-82, and the addition amount is more than 70% (calculated by flour); the addition amount of sausage water is controlled; the amount of oil added in the crust is controlled at 25%-30% (calculated by flour); high, Low-gluten flour should be used in combination of 1:4 or 1:3; the amount of oil added to the filling should be adjusted reasonably; the moisture content of the finished filling should not be too low

Question 6.

Reasons: The color of the syrup is dark, the color of the moon cake is too dark, the conversion degree of the syrup is not enough, the moon cake is not colored, and the color is light; the color of the moon cake is too small, and the color is too dark; the baking time is short and the oven temperature is low, and the moon cake is not colored.

Solution: control the cooking time and temperature of the syrup; control the amount of water added, and choose water with better buffering capacity; control the baking time and temperature; try to use fresh eggs, all egg yolks, or " 4 egg yolks + 1 whole egg" combination; choose flour with high whiteness; moon cake anaerobic packaging

Question 7.

Reason: Insufficient conversion degree of syrup, white sugar is easy to crystallize, which leads to syrup turning; raw water and impurities enter, raw water and impurities are easy to become crystal seeds, resulting in sand turning; violent vibration during storage, air bubbles are easily formed and become crystal seeds.

Solution: When the cooking time is small and long, usually about 2 hours, the amount of acid should be added appropriately; the boiled syrup should be filtered for impurities, sealed and stored, and the tools for taking the syrup should be clean and dry; try to avoid the syrup during the static process.

Question 8.

　　Reason: The amount of sugar is too large, and crystallization occurs when it is oversaturated; the old jacketed pot is heated with heat-conducting oil, and the oil temperature is too high in the later stage.

　　Solution: control the amount of sugar added, generally not more than 140% of the total lotus/bean; use a "steam pot" that is easier to control the temperature, and master the key points of cooling in the later stage; strictly control the end point of frying, and equip the necessary testing equipment , Generally, when out of the pot, the sugar content should not exceed 73 degrees, and it is best to control it below 72 degrees; choose better raw materials; choose appropriate additives, such as "compound emulsifier (oil-holding type)", to improve the product's water absorption, Oil absorption performance

　　Question 9.

　　Reasons: The selected egg yolk is not fresh enough; the filling is dry and scattered, "grabbing" the oil of the egg yolk; the baking time is not enough

　　Solution: Choose egg yolks that are freshly knocked within 15 days; the oil and moisture content of the filling should be sufficient; appropriately extend the baking time

　　other moon cakes

　　(1) Custard Mooncake

　　It is easy to appear that the oil and water stability of the cake skin is poor and sticky

　　(2) Taoshan skin moon cake, mung bean sorbet

　　The most common problem with Taoshan skin mooncakes and mung bean sorbet is the appearance of "white spots" on the surface, which are essentially the "rebirth" of the filling

　　(3) Crispy moon cakes

　　For Soviet-style and Chao-style moon cakes, the meringue is easy to fall off in large quantities, which is related to the characteristics of the product itself and the incomplete shape of the meringue
.
When opening the pastry, it is recommended to add modifiers that can increase the softness and extensibility in the water skin part, so that the water pastry is not prone to small pieces "breaking" and the peeling of the pastry is reduced
.

　　In addition, try to reduce the packaging volume, use a larger specification of deoxidizer and thermal packaging, and use the dual effects of rapid oxygen absorption and air thermal expansion and contraction to make the packaging film and the product fit more closely, avoiding violent shaking during transportation.
, reduce the phenomenon of peeling
.

　　There are many kinds of moon cakes, and the raw materials and processing methods used are not exhaustive.
This article only makes a brief analysis of typical problems
.
To do a good job in the preservation and quality improvement of moon cakes, it is necessary to comprehensively consider raw materials, equipment and processes to find practical solutions
.

　　(He Song)

　　"China Food News" (05 edition on April 19, 2021)

(Editor-in-charge: Bao Xiaotie)