Can fresh longan be dried directly? How to dry longan?

Contents of this article

1. Can fresh longan be dried directly?

2. How to dry longan

3. What to do when it rains while drying longan

Can fresh longan be dried directly?

Fresh longan cannot be dried directly. It needs to be boiled in water before drying. Boiling longan before drying mainly plays a sterilizing role, because longan has a high sugar content, which is easy to breed bacteria and deteriorate under certain temperature conditions. If longan is not boiled and directly dried, it is likely to go bad before drying. Longan with shell and core is called dried longan (dried longan). If the shell and core are removed, leaving only the flesh, it is called longan meat (longan meat) after drying.

How to dry longan

After cutting the longan branches and leaving the stems, wash them, blanch them in water for 2-3 minutes to eliminate the bacteria inside the longan, and then place them in the sun to dry. During the drying process, pay attention to turning them over so that they are heated evenly and dry them completely. The specific drying time depends on the state of the longan, and generally 5-7 days is enough. Seal the dried longan and store it in a dry and ventilated place, avoiding moisture and direct sunlight.

What to do when it rains while drying longan

If the dried longan has been wetted by the rain, turn on the winter heater to dry it, keep the room ventilated, and dry it for an afternoon. If the dried longan has not been wetted, place it indoors and use a fan to blow it.

Good dried longan has thick flesh, bright color, sweet taste, and a layer of very fine wrinkles on the surface of the flesh. The flesh and the core are easy to peel off. The moisture content of the flesh should be less than 25%, generally between 15% and 19%. There is also a kind of semi-dried dried longan, which has a higher moisture content, between 26% and 45%. Its advantages are uniform drying, good flesh color, golden yellow, strong original fruit flavor, and good taste. However, due to the high moisture content, it is not resistant to storage.