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Writer's pictureSubhangi Dey

All about Dry Ginger Processing

Processing of dry ginger





Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) is an upright tropical plant that reaches a height of about 1 metre.It was first made in India and is currently produced all over the world in tropical climes; the main producers are China, Taiwan, Nigeria, Jamaica, Mauritius, and Australia. The United Kingdom, Yemen, the United States, the Middle East, Singapore, and Malaysia are the top markets for ground ginger.

The plant's rhizome (located at the stem's base) and young, sensitive stem are both edible.

Typically, fresh ginger is only consumed in the region where it is grown, but it is possible to

transporting local roots abroad. Rhizomes of all stages of development are consumed as food.

a recent veggie,Only immature rhizomes can be used to make preserved ginger. Exports of preserved ginger dominate. The top three countries in the world for producing preserved ginger are Hong Kong, China, and Australia.Markets are making preserved ginger which is difficult but due to its demands its produced on large scale

Ginger stems should only be utilized when they are the youngest and most sensitive. It is challenging to rival because of established Chinese and Australian producers, processors are discouraged

The flavor and perfume of the rhizome get considerably greater as it gets older. Large bits of dried ginger are frequently shipped and processed into spices in the final destination. Ginger that has been dried can be pulverized and used both as a spice and to make ginger oil and ginger oleoresin.In order to make dried ginger, there are crucial pre- and post-harvest procedures that need to be followed.


Cultivation of ginger



Although ginger is a perennial plant, it is typically planted as an annual for spice harvesting. It needs a warm, humid climate with 150–300 cm of annual precipitation or extensive irrigation. From virtually sea level to an elevation of 1500 meters above sea level, the plant can be grown. It does best on sandy or clay loam soil with plenty of humus and good drainage. Ginger can be integrated as an intercrop in coconut, coffee, and orange plantations and does best in partial shade. During the monsoon rains in April and May, planting is performed. When the tops have died back, ginger is harvested by digging out the rhizomes. Dried ginger is harvested and processed in a variety of ways.




Processing of ginger


Dried processing of ginger.

When picking ginger rhizomes for processing, there are two crucial criteria to take into account:

a) Maturity level at harvest stage of maturity at harvest.

The rhizomes of ginger can be collected after around five months.


Followed by planting they are still too little at this point. The roots are edible fresh or can be processed into preserved ginger because they are delicate and have a mild flavor. Rhizomes lose their tenderness and flavor after 7 months, making it impossible to use them fresh. Then, their only purpose is for drying. Rhizomes are picked at their peak flavor and aroma between 8 and 9 months of age, when they are ready for drying. If they are plucked after this The amount of fiber will be excessive.


b) The type of plant's native qualities. Growing ginger Native characteristics of the kind grown in various regions of the world can vary, such as flavor, aroma, and color, which impacts their appropriateness for processing. This is particularly crucial when making dried ginger because those rhizomes need to have a potent flavor and scent. The types of dried ginger Himachel, Maran, Mananthody, and Kuruppampady are good ones to use in cooking. When drying ginger, the rhizome's size is a key consideration; medium-sized rhizomes work best. Large rhizomes frequently contain a significant level of moisture, which makes drying difficult.


Quality Assurance

Guarantee of dried ginger

The end product's appearance (color, absence of mold or aflatoxin, and aroma and flavor) as well as its flavor and aroma are used to determine the dried ginger's quality.

A mixture of pre- and post-harvest factors affect these qualities:

• The stage or maturity of the rhizome at harvest defines its fitness for end use. The most important element is the cultivar of ginger utilized since this determines the flavor, aroma, pungency, and levels of essential oil and fiber.

• After harvest, the rhizomes should be handled carefully to prevent damage. Rhizomes that are 8–9 months old yield the greatest quality dried ginger because they have a nice balance of aroma and pungency and not too much fiber.


For a light color, they should be washed right away after harvest. • Care should be given when removing the outer cork peel. Rhizomes that have been wet should not be let to sit in piles for an extended period of time since they will start to ferment. It is necessary to remove the skin in order to lower the amount of fiber, but if the peeling is too thick, it may also diminish the amount of volatile oil that is present close to the rhizome's surface. The rhizomes should lose 60 to 70% of their weight during drying and reach a final moisture content of 7 to 12%. When drying, caution should be used to avoid mold formation.


• A higher-quality, cleaner product is produced when a mechanical drier is used. • Following harvest, the washing, peeling, and drying processes should be carried out as rapidly as possible to prevent the growth of germs and mold as well as to prevent fermentation. Dried ginger should be stored in a dry environment to prevent the growth of mold. If the drying process takes too long, there is a risk that the ginger will become contaminated by aflatoxin or other fungi. Flavor and pungency are lost when food is stored for a long time.


Grading

The importing nation imposes quality standards, which refer to the ginger's hygiene requirements rather than its actual quality. The basic requirements must be met for the ginger to be accepted by importers.


Grinding

One way to increase the worth of a product is through grinding. Spices should not, however, be ground because doing so makes them more prone to deterioration. The flavor and aroma molecules in ground items are unstable and will vanish fast. Spices that are ground have a substantially shorter shelf life than those that are intact.


Packaging

Rhizomes in bulk can be shipped in lined corrugated cardboard boxes, timber boxes, or jute sacks. Packaging for dry slices or powder uses multi-wall laminated bags. A laminate's film permeability determines which ones are superior to others. The material used for packaging needs to be air- and moisture-tight. The bags can be sealed using machines. The products should have appealing labeling. All necessary product and legal information must be included on the label, including the item's name, brand name (if appropriate), manufacturer's information (name and address), date of manufacture, expiration date, weight of the contents, added ingredients (if applicable), and any other data that the country of origin and import may require (such as a barcode, producer code, and other data).


Regarding Storage

Store dried rhizomes, slices, and splits in a cold environment (10–15 °C). The flavor components begin to degrade at higher temperatures (23–26°C), and ginger loses some of its

scent and flavor. The storage space must be dry and shielded from direct sunshine.


Distillation of ginger oil

Rhizomes from fresh or dried ginger plants can be used to make oil. Since these components disappear during the drying process, the oil from the dried rhizomes will have low boiling point volatile compounds (the substances that give ginger its flavor and scent). The best ginger oil is made from entire, unpeeled rhizomes.

Steam distillation is the procedure used to create ginger oil. The rhizomes are loaded into a still after being pounded into a coarse powder. The powder is exposed to steam, which draws out the volatile oil components. After that, cold water is used to condense the steam. Oils separate from the steam water when it condenses and can be recovered.




Unloading, cleaning, sorting, grading, drying, and packaging are just a few of the procedures involved in the production of dry ginger. The fresh ginger is first washed and cleaned. Following that, it is sorted and graded based on size and quality. Then, either manually or mechanically, they excised a part of the skin; this is typically done at home. Ginger is then left to dry in the sun after that. It is kept in dry circumstances after drying. Sometimes sulfur is used to fumigate dry ginger to keep it fresh-looking and prevent mildew.

These days, the majority of people also perform this work and export it to various locations. In India, the states of Orissa, Kerala, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal produce dry ginger. Madhya Pradesh and Bengal. The state that produces the most ginger is Kerala.Therefore ginger is useful in many other things like dry ginger, such as being an excellent remedy. Cold, sore throat, cough, etc.


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