Turkey is the third largest producer of chestnuts. In Turkey, chestnut fruits are widely consumed fresh as well as processed into candied chestnut. The objective of this study was to determine the most suitable method for candied chestnut production. For that purpose, eleven different methods were tested. Fresh chestnuts were peeled and divided into three groups. First group was held at -20°C overnight. Second group was precooked at 121°C for 5 min without sugar syrup. The third group received no pre-treatment. All samples were cooked at 121°C for 10 min in 50°Bx sugar syrup and then cooked in sugar syrups with different concentrations at 121°C for 10 min. All samples were evaluated for color and sensory properties which are important quality attributes that affect consumer preference. The most suitable processing steps were determined as: holding at -20°C overnight, thawing, cooking in 50°Bx sugar syrup at 121°C for 10 min and then cooking in 60°Bx sugar syrup at 121°C for 10 min. Taste, odor, texture and color properties of the candied chestnuts produced according to the above mentioned processing steps were found to be excellent.
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