Mistakes when vacuuming to preserve lychee

Lychee season is almost over, many housewives tell each other about the method of preserving lychee by vacuuming to keep it longer, but this is the wrong way.

Vacuuming is removing all the gas from food, creating a vacuum environment (no air in the food). This method can prevent the growth of some types of bacteria. If done correctly, vacuuming will preserve food longer than when left in the natural environment. Lychee season is almost over, many women on social networks are sharing the secret to preserving lychee by vacuuming.

However, in reality, many people have tried and failed completely. Fresh lychees cannot be preserved for long, on the contrary, they spoil faster than when leaving at room temperature. After a few days, the vacuum bag swells like a balloon, the lychees become mushy, have a strange smell and are inedible.

Dr. Vu Thi Tan, lecturer of Inorganic Chemistry, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, said: "Ripe lychees contain a lot of sugar, so they ferment easily. After vacuuming, even though they are kept in the refrigerator, the fermentation process of anaerobic bacteria still takes place, leading to the production of CO₂ gas, causing the bag to swell, the lychees to rot and become soft."

A person on social media shares his mistake when preserving fabrics by vacuuming

Photo: Screenshot

With his experience, Dr. Tan shares an extremely simple way to preserve lychee:

After buying lychees, if you want to preserve them for a week while still maintaining their freshness, wash them lightly with diluted salt water and drain. Then, put the lychees in a sealed box, line them with a few sheets of paper towels to absorb moisture and place them in the refrigerator. In addition, if you want to eat lychees out of season, many housewives also freeze them.

"In addition, some fruit sellers do not wash the fruit with water, just let the lychee dry and put it in a sealed box lined with absorbent paper. Everyone should not vacuum-pack lychee, it is not only ineffective, it costs money to buy bags and also releases a lot of plastic waste into the environment," said Dr. Tan.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sai-lam-khi-hut-chan-khong-de-bao-quan-vai-thieu-185250626062012172.htm