Tips and Guides

Powdered Tomatoes

Procedure:

1. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute.
2. Dip in 500 ppm solution of sodium metabisulfite for 2 minutes.
3. Dry in the oven at 54 o C for 9 hours or until its moisture goes down to 7.5%.
4. Pulverize the dried tomatoes in a pestle.

The resulting product is red in color and smells and taste like fresh tomatoes. To cook mix water as needed.

Dehydrated Carrots

Materials:

Carrots – mature, bright colored, fresh
Starch flour- 4 tbsp. in 4 cups water (stir continually while heating)
Plastic bags

Procedure:

1. Wash the carrots very well slice into 4 x 10 x 10 mm sizes.
2. Arrange on a sinamay or nylon cloth and dip in boiling water for 3 minutes.
3. Dip the carrots in the cooked starch for 1 minute.
4. Drain and arrange on tray.
5. Dry in the oven at 60C – 65C for 7-8 hours or under the sun until no juice can be extracted when passed. If the carrots will be dried in the sun do not expose them directly. Put them inside the box with holes at the 4 sides. Cover the top ,of the box with black or dark cloth or plastic sheet.
6. When dried pack in plastic bags and seal.
7. To reuse soak 1/4 cup carrots in a cup of warm water for half an hour.
8. Cook in the usual way like fresh carrots.

Dehydrated Bell Pepper

Procedure:

1. Select fresh mature green peeper with deep green color. Wash them very well in running water.
2. Cut in halves removes seeds, placenta and stems.
3. Slice into 2 cm size thick before blanching.
4. Spread on sinamay or nylon cloth (not thicker than 2 cm.) before steaming.
5. Dip in 5% salt solution for 30 minutes.
6. Blanch steam for 2 minutes.
7. Dry at 60 o C-65 o C for 7-8 hours.
8. Pack in plastic bags.

Dehydrated Celery

Procedure:

1. Select green fresh celery with fleshy stalks.
2. Cut into 3/4 cm. cubes and leafy parts 3 cm. long.
3. Spread on wide nylon or sinamay basket about 2 1/2 cm. thick before blanching.
4. Steams blanch for one minute.
5. Soak in 0.05% lime (calcium chloride) for 5 minutes.
6. Dip in boiling 0.25 sodium metabisulfite solution for 2 minutes.
7. Dry at 60C – 65C for 6-7 hours.
8. Pack in plastic bags and seal.

Source: Selected R & D Completed Projects NSTA 1982, FNRI Oct. 1989; photo courtesy of www.waltonfeed.com