Processing of Cranberries
At the processing plant, cranberries are cleaned in fanning mills, then dropped some distance to eliminate soft or rotten specimens (the defective berries do not bounce, those suitable for food bounce up over a barrier), then washed, first in acid or alkaline solutions to remove spray residues, then in water. Determining is carried out in a rotating vegetable peeler fitted with a smooth bottom plate.
Cranberries handled as fresh are packed in paper fined wooden boxes, and the product is slowly cooled to 36 – 40 degree F. Cranberries should be held at 36 - 40 degree F until sold to the consumer. At this temperature, cranberries have a storage life of several months. Cranberries may be held frozen prior to the manufacture of jelly or sauce. They are placed in large metal containers, frozen, in bulk in cold-air rooms, and held in this condition until defrosted for purposes of preparing cooked products.
Processing of Cranberries
