The delicious but hard to peel Torreya grandis finally "opened"!

In the past two days, at the Torreya grandis planting and research base of Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University located in Panmugang, Lin'an District, Hangzhou, each of the ripened Torreya grandis nuts was "smiling" with a small cut through laser processing technology.

After being roasted by a machine, these Torreya grandis can be easily peeled off. After rubbing, the "black coat" that affects the taste will fall off, revealing the golden Torreya grandis kernel. Put one in your mouth, it is crispy and soft, and you get a mouthful of "nutty aroma"...

Torreya grandis with its mouth opened. Photo by reporter Lin Chenchen

It is not easy to eat the crispy Torreya nuts. There is a farmer's proverb that says: "It takes three years for peaches, four years for apricots, five years for pears, and nine years for walnuts." It takes about 15 years for Torreya nuts to produce sporadic fruits for the first time, and 30 years for them to produce real fruits. Not only does it take a long time, but Torreya nuts also have a "self-protection" mechanism of "tasty but hard to peel", which has also restricted the further development of related industries to a certain extent.

Over the years, experts including Professor Wu Jiasheng, Song Lili, Dai Wensheng, and Yu Weiwu from Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University have formed an experienced Torreya grandis team and have been committed to the breeding of Torreya grandis varieties and research in related fields. They have overcome technical difficulties such as the small number of Torreya grandis varieties, difficulty in grafting survival, low afforestation survival rate, and late fruiting. They have demonstrated and promoted relevant scientific research results, promoted the large-scale cultivation of Torreya grandis, and promoted the rapid development of the Torreya grandis industry.

Torreya grandis fruit. Photo provided by correspondent

"The quality of Torreya nuts is extremely important to the development of the Torreya industry, and the ripening process is the key factor affecting the quality of Torreya nuts, accounting for more than 70% of the total," Song Lili told reporters. "A good Torreya nut should have a complete appearance, consistent color, uniform size, and a crispy taste, all of which test the professional level of the roaster."

Torreya grandis processing machine Photo provided by correspondent

The key links that determine the quality of Torreya grandis are harvesting, piling and ripening, and frying and processing. In order to cultivate high-quality Torreya grandis, the team has held technical training courses on Torreya grandis ripening and frying in Zhuji, Keqiao, Shengzhou, Fuyang and other places in Zhejiang Province, and gave special lectures on Torreya grandis efficacy and functional product development, Torreya grandis ripening management, Torreya grandis frying and processing and other technologies.

In addition, in order to make Torreya grandis fruit have a non-astringent and crispy taste, the team independently created three core technologies, namely, ripening harvesting, temperature and humidity control, and NaHCO3 de-astringency, based on an in-depth analysis of the key quality formation mechanisms such as oil, aroma, and astringency, forming a technical system for Torreya grandis post-ripening quality control. The team also developed multifunctional post-ripening processing equipment to overcome the difficulties of standardization, intelligence, and scale of Torreya grandis post-ripening processing.

Torreya grandis processing machine Photo provided by correspondent

According to statistics, the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in Torreya grandis, which has been empowered by the team's technology, has increased by 10%; the process of removing astringency has been accelerated, and the ripening time has been shortened from 30 days to 15 days, greatly improving production efficiency.

According to legend, Gou Jian, the King of Yue, once tried to open the shell of Torreya grandis but failed. The beauty Xi Shi pinched the two small protruding spots on the shell with her slender fingers, pressed lightly with her thumb and index finger, and the shell instantly cracked, revealing the complete kernel. Therefore, everyone calls the two small protruding spots on Torreya grandis "Xi Shi's eyes".

The Torreya grandis team is also working hard to make the opening of this fruit more convenient. When farmers pick Torreya grandis seeds from the tree, researchers use laser technology to micro-open them, and then match the appropriate frying temperature, time and medium, and then "open Torreya grandis" are born.

Torreya grandis laser opening technology developed by Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University. Photo provided by correspondent

Last year, Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University trial-produced the first batch of open Torreya grandis nuts, and developed a Torreya grandis kernel peeling process based on this. The "black coat" that wraps the Torreya grandis outer layer and easily affects the taste can be easily peeled off with modern technology. The processing method has been tested in Hangzhou Shuiduiwan Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. with good results.

"Nowadays, the new technology for post-ripening of Torreya grandis that we have developed can reduce the labor input of Torreya grandis processing plants by an average of 76.5%. The processing methods for opening Torreya grandis and stripped Torreya grandis kernels that we have created have an opening rate of 96% and a stripping rate of 86%," Song Lili introduced.