Preservation and Storage of Chinese Yam Used as Medicine and Food

Chinese yam contains protein, sugars, vitamins, fat, choline, amylase, etc., as well as iodine, calcium, iron, phosphorus and other indispensable inorganic salts and trace elements, with health functions such as tonifying the lungs, strengthening the kidney and improving essence. It is a kind of high-grade vegetable for both medicine and food.

1. Storage and fresh-keeping conditions

The main results are as follows: (1) the storage characteristic of Chinese yam is not only a vegetable with tolerance to low temperature and low humidity, but also a physiological dormancy period. However, at the end of the dormant period during storage, the physiological metabolism became exuberant and fibrous roots grew out of the root tuber epidermis. At this time, if the storage condition is not suitable, it is easy to cause decay and deterioration. Therefore, prolonging the dormancy period of Chinese yam is the key to prolong the storage period.

(2) the yam prepared for storage after postharvest treatment should be sturdy, complete, lead and tail, with no mud in the epidermis, no whisker roots, no wounds, scars, insect pests, and no frostbite. Before storage, it should be spread out and dried in the shade, so that the outer skin is slightly dry.

(3) the suitable storage temperature is 0: 2 ℃ and the relative humidity is 80%-85%. Under this environmental condition, it can be stored for 150-200 days.

two。 Storage method

(1) the fine mud or river sand should be buried in situ. Its practice is: on the floor of the room, cellar and reservoir with good ventilation and low humidity, use bricks to build a buried pit about 1 meter high, and lay a dry fine soil or dry sand with a thickness of about 10 centimeters at the bottom of the pit. Then put the selected and spread yam flat on the soil (sand), a layer of yam (sand), pile to about 10 cm from the mouth of the pit, and then seal with dry fine soil or sand. Sampling inspection is usually carried out every other month or so after burial. When turning over and checking, take it gently, do not scratch the epidermis of the root, and pick out the lesions in time to prevent them from spreading. If the water content of mud (sand) is too large, it should be turned in advance.

The containers for burying yams are also baskets, crates, and so on. The method is: first use sterilized paper to lay in the box, the bottom of the basket and around, then a layer of yam a layer of soil (sand) heap to about 5 cm away from the mouth, covered with soil (sand). The time of turning and inspection depends on the condition of keeping yam fresh. It is easier to bury with the cylinder, as long as a layer of sand is spread at the bottom of the cylinder, then a layer of yam is piled to 7cm away from the cylinder mouth, and the seal is sealed with soil (sand).

(2) the basket is covered with sun-sterilized straw or straw (preferably wheat straw), laid at the bottom and around the sterilized basket (box), and then the selected yam is piled layer by layer to 80% full, and the top is covered with wheat straw to the mouth of the basket (box). It is stacked in the ventilated storage by horseback riding, and the height is generally 3 wicker baskets or 4 crates. In order to prevent the influence of ground moisture on the roots, bricks or boards can be padded at the bottom of the bottom basket (box) so that there is a distance of about 10 centimeters between the ground and the ground. Keep it cool and dry in the warehouse.

(3) refrigerate the selected yam into a crate with four or five layers of paper around it, seal the mouth of the box with paper, then palletize or put it on the shelf in the cold storage, adjust and control the storage temperature 0 ℃, relative humidity 80% 85%, pay attention to ventilation, can be stored for more than half a year.