Ideas for small business: making and selling sauerkraut

A business that older women can do too. The idea for a small business is quite simple, and the products are in demand all year round. One of the few types of business in which the sale of finished products is guaranteed. Sauerkraut has been popular in our country for a long time. This is not only a tasty dish, but a storehouse of vitamins and other useful substances.

At the same time, it is quite suitable even for people who control their weight, as it is non-caloric. In winter, sauerkraut can be found on the table of almost every resident of our country. But not everyone has the time and desire to cook cabbage.

This is especially true for residents of large cities, for whom it is easier to buy the required amount of sauerkraut for the table at the market or store, rather than pick it. Therefore, if there is an opportunity to start sauerkraut for sale, why not try this type of earning money.

Since the process of sauerkraut occurs in the autumn, it is necessary to prepare for it in advance. It is preliminarily determined where and in what quantity fresh cabbage will be purchased. Then you need to complete all the documents: register with the tax office as an individual entrepreneur and, of course, issue documents confirming the quality of your products. Then choose a room where you will carry out production and purchase everything that is required for sauerkraut.

In this business, special attention must be paid to the container in which the kaput pickling process will take place. It is desirable that these are wooden tubs. You can also ferment cabbage in polyethylene containers if they are intended for food products. But cabbage will taste better in wooden tubs.

Before adding cabbage, wooden tubs must be thoroughly washed and soaked in water so that the wood is well saturated with water and does not absorb the juice from pickling. After everything else, steam it. In poorly soaked tubs, cabbage may turn out a little dry. It is also necessary to purchase plastic food buckets for transporting cabbage for sale and food containers for small packaging for sale.

Seasonings that are planned to be used in the process of fermenting cabbage must be of high quality; table salt for pickling is not iodized. Iodized salt is not used in any types of canning or pickling of vegetables. During preliminary work, it is necessary to look for places to sell your products: offer them for sale in stores, cafes and canteens.

In order to acquire a large clientele for the future development of your business, it is a good idea to enter the market with your products. It is best to ferment cabbage according to different recipes, because consumers have different tastes. Some people like classic sauerkraut, others with various additives: cranberries, lingonberries, apples or red beets. The number of customers and, of course, your income for the season will depend on how tasty the first batch of sauerkraut is prepared.

Over time, you can expand your production and harvest not only cabbage, but also pickle cucumbers, and also prepare soaked apples. If the purchase price for fresh cabbage from farmers is 5 rubles per kg and the cost of a kilogram of sauerkraut is from 50 rubles to 160 rubles, you can calculate whether it is worth starting this type of business. Moreover, you can combine income from this business idea with your main job and consider it as an additional type of income.

You won’t believe how much unsold fresh cabbage is used to feed livestock on peasant farms, where formic acid from www.urzol.ru/hcooh.shtml is also required for fermenting colostrum when feeding calves. Let's help farmers by purchasing cabbage from them directly on the spot before it rises in price (beneficial to you) or simply rots in piles due to improper organization of sales (beneficial to farmers). Everyone benefits from agricultural processing.

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A step-by-step and detailed methodology will allow you to learn

Secrets of making sauerkraut and pickled cabbage!

Take just 2 minutes to read this page and...

Find out:

How to choose the variety of cabbage that is right for you!!!
(Sweetness, moisture, fragility and even the presence of veins!..)

How to properly purchase cabbage and select a supplier!
(from 70% more finished product yield
+ savings up to 80%!!!)

How to organize sales of finished products
in the Russian markets!!!

A real opportunity to earn money!

It will depend only on your personal desires and aspirations,
how much can you earn from sauerkraut?

And if you don’t know the difference between the production of soft sauerkraut and crispy
and/or just want to learn how to cook sauerkraut and understand the nuances?

Or do you just want to learn about a new business and a 100% chance of making money?

Then my 18 years of experience
will be useful to you!

And now I propose to meet you!

Hello, I’m Matvey Ivantsov and I want to tell you my story of running a business, which I mastered quite a long time ago, and which brings me an excellent annual income!

Today I make sauerkraut for myself and as a director at my sauerkraut factory. I am involved in setting up and debugging production equipment, working with suppliers, working on sales and even supervising the assembly of new production lines, including the key area - the production of sauerkraut. Our cabbage goes abroad in huge volumes - where they love it very much for its unique taste. Our biggest buyers are the Japanese - oddly enough.

My personal hobby.

All my life I loved sauerkraut with milk mushrooms and mashed potatoes, and almost 20 years ago my hobby became a business.

Everyone probably remembers those hard years. There was no money in the country. I started looking for ways to make money - what I was good at was making sauerkraut. I started a small production in my garage. Then it was very difficult to find a supplier - and you had to buy cabbage at a vegetable store - which, you see, is not very good for business. The quality of cabbage is very low. But then I didn’t think about it. Cabbage and cabbage.

I sold it in plastic buckets and even plastic bags by weight in the retail chain store “Vesna”.

Since this all started.

Of course, not everything worked out right away; in those years, we can assume that there was no Internet, there were only books, textbooks and personal experience. So I learned on my own, and from my own experience. And the first thing I had to deal with was the quality of the primary material - as I call it. The cabbage itself. It was blackened in places. Not uniform, with a lot of veins and even defects from insects. Then I started buying cabbage from summer residents in the fall - which didn’t improve the results much. I had to go the whole way! And I’ll tell you my secret, and you won’t have to poke around in corners looking for solutions.

But that is not all.

It took me a while to realize that sauerkraut is such a unique product - the only thing it can be compared with is cheese! So many varieties. How many flavors? Cabbage with apple, tangerines, pineapples and classic types with cranberries and lingonberries and even wine. Soft cabbage with lemon or crunchy with cranberries? With or without juice, season it all with milk mushrooms with potatoes or chanterelles with meat?

My mouth is already watering.

Do you know that you can ferment not only white cabbage?

Kohlrabi and even Brussels sprouts, not to mention cauliflower and broccoli - each type has its own distinctive taste characteristics, and of course cooking technologies to preserve shape, color and even unsurpassed aroma!

Which cabbage should be served with white wine?

The best chefs on the planet believe that soft sauerkraut with lemon juice surrounded by cheese Parmesano Reggiano is the best option but we can check!

Many people don’t distinguish pickled cabbage from sauerkraut - I’ll tell you what the difference is.

Kvashenye- fermentation process in an oxygen-free environment.

Pickling- soaking in marinade.

Sauerkraut is more difficult - but the taste of real sauerkraut is much better!

For proper pickling, certain bacteria are needed, which are naturally found on cabbage leaves, of course, if it is not treated with temperature. But what kind of microorganisms live there and in what quantities? Only practice can show this and help in preparation or ruin the whole batch. In the old fashioned way, we put it in a barrel or other large-volume vessel for fermentation - we oppress it (put it under pressure) and just wait until the microbiotics do their job either correctly (we succeeded) or incorrectly (the whole batch has fermented). What microorganisms are responsible for what, how not to leave everything to chance, how to vary the taste of your cabbage when preparing brine, how to get rid of unwanted microbes, and so on, so on, so on...

The complete step-by-step methodology is provided in my manual!

You don’t need to develop and invent methods, you just take and repeat MY success! Of course, not for nothing, because I don’t want to give away my experience just like that.

From simple recipes in 15 minutes to cabbage that takes several years to prepare!

And you will learn how to prepare sauerkraut without people even realizing what it is!

Many people fear that making sauerkraut is a seasonal business.

This is true. Only the cabbage ripening season in Turkey is slightly different from ours. There it is collected throughout the year until 6-7! once. And I, as a producer, buy ready-made cabbage only from the harvest, calibrated by head size and variety. This way the taste of the juice is revealed to its full potential. I will tell you exactly which varieties and ripening periods of heads of cabbage should be used in production, but what to do if you, as a beginner, do not have the opportunity to select a variety - but only have white cabbage from the vegetable warehouse?

There's a secret- the youngest leaves are inside the head of cabbage - as part of cooking for the family - I choose only young leaves, for this I have to unwrap the head of cabbage - of course - at home this is not a problem - after all, all the outer or shell leaves can be used for soup or as an independent dish - but if Do you have a production capacity of 20 tons per day? There should be no leftovers!

It will cost a lot of money to dispose of them at a solid waste warehouse - I will tell you how I do it.

Do you know that the core of a head of cabbage can serve as an individual dish in the right marinade?

In my business there is no downtime even for coarse stalks - I will tell you how to properly prepare a pickled appetizer from the cores of a cabbage head! Which will rightfully be appreciated by many.

This assortment of sauerkraut can be in your home!

But what if you can’t afford to rent the Whole Farm? Or do you not have the money to purchase the first 50 centners of cabbage to start your business?

I will help you! There are a couple of “secrets” that allow you to produce sauerkraut, starting with small (2-3) assortments, but stable profits!

The story of a friend of mine is interesting: in 2004, when I already had a fairly solid business and I could afford 3 apartments in the city center, my friend, let’s call him Evgeniy, decided to do a similar business! Since it was my friend, I could not refuse his request and told him everything I could about this quite profitable business!

His first production was in the kitchen - 9 basins, for 2 items and that's it! I told him how to choose the right cabbage, how to produce it and what is best in demand on the market, and also told him how to sell it. Having received his first profit, according to him, he understood how to make money, because his investments paid off with interest, he was even able to build a separate building for production after half a year, and then everything went like clockwork! After all, sauerkraut is our national dish! Although it comes from Germany.

Of course, he invested all his income in expansion - and found his niche! You have to do this too!

Why am I not afraid of competitors, you ask?

It’s all very simple, I won’t give you my market, don’t even ask, but in your area, no one will take your market away from you!

After all, all you need to earn money is 15 minutes of free time a day, at the first stage! And a little intelligence, but if you don’t have it, or you don’t know where to start, I’ll explain it step by step in my DVD course!

For example, this is how we chop cabbage

I'm not suggesting you get super-cabbage or super-profit - I'm suggesting you do it yourself!

In addition, preparing for your first steps will take you no more than 2 days next weekend - and then just wait!

Using my method, you can prepare cabbage not only for sale! But also for your own consumption. I’ll tell you how to ferment cabbage all year round, regardless of the weather, inflation, or even market prices, and at the same time save significantly on ingredients!

I won’t tell you the stupid “put it under pressure and just wait” methods!! Everything is much simpler!

Forget about sour cabbage

Forget about the painful hours
cooking and boiling

Everything you need
- this is my Course and about 1 hour
free time
at first!

All producers of sauerkraut should know how cabbage itself is grown in the fields, this is what I did at one time, I visited many cabbage farms, including Europe and the USA.

I even participated in the process of refining these “Plantations” in Europe and creating special varieties for my production!

The farm itself looks amazing. It occupies a huge space and brings in fabulous income. It is headed by only 1 person, his name is Evan, he manages the farm together with his son and wife.

All beds are open - which allows you to maintain the temperature without the cost of heating and cooling.

Cleanliness on the farm is the key to the health of their charges. Hygiene is organized at the highest level - after all, the yield of finished products, and, accordingly, the profit of the farm, depends on cleanliness.

The finished cabbage leaving the farm is sent to another plant for processing. There it is sorted according to many parameters and then goes to the market.

Interesting to hear from those who have already tried my method?

“Good afternoon! I’m writing to you to say thank you very much for the idea and your invaluable experience. I had previously thought about starting to sell sauerkraut, but somehow I never got around to it, and the desire was not enough. When I saw I ordered your course without hesitation. This is what I needed. All the information is posted in one course, you don’t need to look for anything, everything is already ready. Following your recommendations, I started small and set up a mini production in the country. Thank you, you’re all great explained! The profitability of production has increased significantly. True, I still sell all the finished products through intermediaries, I don’t have time to organize a distribution network on my own. But still, my monthly income has become more than 80,000 rubles a month! Well, where else would I earn that kind of money these days? money! Thank you again for the idea and for your excellent plan! And even in winter, I can now constantly replenish my stock of freshly fermented cabbage and make my loved ones and children happy!

Elena Illarionova. Mari El Republic."

“Hello! My wife and I are pensioners, we live in a village. Our pension is barely enough, and our health no longer allows us to keep a farm. Once my son brought your course from the city, he wanted to start producing sauerkraut for himself and for sale. But it’s young and green , both caught fire and quickly cooled down. But my wife and I immediately became interested, studied everything carefully, calculated how much cabbage we could grow with it in the existing area and ferment it - we decided to approach the matter thoroughly. We equipped an old barn for a temporary warehouse - and, it wasn’t! It turned out to be a very exciting business and quite within the power of us old people. Slowly our cabbage began to be sold in the village, in the summer there is generally a huge demand (when summer residents come). Children from the city now come for fresh “rations”! My wife and I thought and decided to expand production. Our son, looking at our example, volunteered to help and asks to become a partner. So we want to go to sales in the city through him. In the meantime, we are slowly putting aside for expansion, and we are giving away everything that remains to our children and grandchildren! Thank you and great health to your entire family!
Pavel Nikolaevich. Syzran district."

Don’t forget that these are reviews of those who have already purchased my course, otherwise how much you earn will depend only on YOU!

So what will I tell you about?

1. Technologies for preparing sauerkraut!
2. Technologies for preparing pickled cabbage!
3. Methods and techniques for selecting bases and using spices when sauerkraut!
4. Unique steps in establishing a cabbage business!
5. Methods of selecting and sorting cabbage for the preparation of goods of various quality, from simple - 2nd class to Exclusive, same-type Elite products that can be served in expensive restaurants, as a decoration for foie gras and truffles.
6. Sales of finished products - A unique chapter, I will tell you what and how to do, and what not to do... How to sell more than you can grow? And how to get rid of the harvest in the next three days!

+ As a bonus, I will include many old and not so old recipes for dishes that use sauerkraut!
(Fried, steamed, boiled and even dried sauerkraut can decorate and diversify your table)

and much more!

I guarantee: you can do it!

And if not?

Well, if suddenly you don’t succeed, you can GET ALL YOUR MONEY BACK!

This means a 100% delivery guarantee and good printing of my course!

Now I would like to make you tempting offer! I will set an unprecedented price for this course especially for you!

Today your price will be LOWER!

Interested?

All this, together with my GUARANTEES, gives you the following:

• In this course you will gain only high-quality knowledge and skills that have been tested in practice and in real business.
• By purchasing my course and starting a business, you risk absolutely nothing. After the first “arrival” you will recoup not only the cost of the purchased goods, but also the costs of knowledge. Speaking of costs...

How much do you think this course might cost? 10,000 rubles? 20,000 rubles?

You are NOT right, the price of my course is 4200 rubles!

But for YOU there is SPECIAL DISCOUNT!
Given this discounts price for the course unprecedentedly small
and amounts to only 2690 rubles!

Agree, it’s not such a big price to pay for such a profitable business!

All you have to do is press a button!

And, perhaps, in a couple of years, while dining at a fashionable restaurant or sitting in the courtyard of your luxurious home, the question “How do you earn so much money?” You will answer with confidence and pride: “I run my own business!” After all, everything is achievable. Along with my training course.

Ordering a course will not be difficult.

For residents of Russia, it is possible to place an order by cash on delivery.

Of course, I won’t send the disc myself - it’s difficult for me, but a professional sending service will do it within 2 days from the moment of ordering! And will send it to you by First Class mail.

I’ll say one thing - what can you afford to buy for 2690 rubles?

Cheap spinning rod or radio? A set of shaving machines?

Imagine how many of the listed products you will very soon be able to buy by investing only 2,690 rubles (that’s how much the course costs)!

For pickling, white cabbage of mid-season, mid-late and late-ripening varieties is used - Moscow late, Slava, Belorusskaya, Zimnyaya Gribovskaya, Podarok, Belosnezhka, etc. Early varieties of cabbage have loose heads and contain little sugar, so the sauerkraut is of low quality. Carrots are always used as raw materials, and depending on the recipe - apples, cranberries, lingonberries, caraway seeds (seeds), bay leaves, sweet vegetable peppers, etc.

According to the method of preparation, sauerkraut is divided into:

shredded,

chopped,

cabbage with shredded or chopped,

whole cabbage, etc.

Each type of cabbage is prepared according to special recipes in accordance with current technological instructions, but most often cabbage is fermented with the addition of 3% carrots and 2% salt, and sometimes up to 8% apples, 0.05% cumin, 0.03% bay leaf, 2% cranberries and 2% lingonberries depending on the recipe. When fermenting, whole cabbage is poured with 4% brine. Sometimes, according to the recipe, cabbage is fermented with sweet vegetable peppers and carrots (or without), beets and carrots, etc.

The production process for sauerkraut includes stripping the heads, removing the stump, shredding or chopping the cabbage, preparing auxiliary raw materials, placing in containers and compacting (self-pressing or vacuum pressing), fermentation, storage, unloading and packaging.

Cabbage, cleared of green and damaged leaves, with the stump trimmed flush with the head of cabbage, after sorting by quality, is fed to a shredding machine, which shreds it into narrow strips no more than 5 mm wide; the particle size of chopped cabbage should be no more than 12 mm in the greatest dimension. Cabbage is also fermented in whole heads or in the form of half-heads, as well as interlayered with shredded or chopped cabbage.

At the same time, carrots are prepared, which improves the taste, appearance and nutritional value of sauerkraut. Carrots are washed, peeled using root peelers, further peeled by hand, and chopped into strips, columns or circles of certain sizes. Apples, cranberries, lingonberries, bay leaves (sorted and washed), caraway seeds (cleansed of twigs and foreign impurities), salt (sifted) are also prepared. Apples are laid whole or in halves or quarters without seed chambers.

Place clean cabbage leaves at the bottom of the doshnik. Chopped cabbage along with auxiliary materials is loaded into a doshnik, leveled, compacted tightly and sprinkled with table salt in layers. Dense compaction helps create anaerobic conditions during fermentation.

When using a starter culture of pure cultures of lactic acid microorganisms, use a watering can to water each layer of cabbage placed in the trays. Non-gas-forming lactic acid bacteria and yeast are used to prepare starter cultures.

Pure cultures of microorganisms and yeast are propagated separately. Cabbage broth is used as a medium for preparing the starter, which is obtained by boiling fresh shredded cabbage in water. When the cabbage softens, the broth is filtered and added to the juice.

The cabbage loaded into the doshnik is covered with leaves with a layer of about 5 cm, and on top with plastic wrap or gauze, a pressure circle is applied, and pressure is set with a screw press until the juice appears.

The most promising is the pressure-free method, which reduces losses and improves product quality.

Sauerkraut is carried out in specialized box trays with polyethylene liners with a capacity of 500 kg. A feature of the technology is the separation of fermentation and storage processes, which allows maintaining optimal temperature conditions for each of them. Prepared cabbage and auxiliary raw materials according to the recipe, as well as a starter of pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria, are loaded into containers with strong and dense polyethylene liners (200 microns thick). A container with cabbage is placed under the head of the vacuum installation and the air that is in the spaces between the pieces of vegetables and partially dissolved in the cell juice of the cabbage is sucked out of it using a vacuum pump. The total volume occupied by cabbage is sharply reduced. The liner is tightly tied, leaving free space for the gases released during fermentation, and on top, to prevent the entry of air from the outside, it is clamped using special clamps consisting of two wooden planks bolted together.

The containers are placed by loaders into the fermentation chamber and kept there at a temperature of 20-24°C for 3-4 days. Then, when the total acidity of the cabbage reaches 0.7-0.8%, the containers are transported to a storage chamber at a temperature of 0...+2°C, where it can be stored for several months. Before sale, sauerkraut is packaged in plastic film bags.

The fermentation process that occurs during sauerkraut includes three periods. In the first period, intensive reproduction of lactic acid bacteria occurs; in the second - the accumulation of lactic acid - this is the main period of fermentation; in the third period there is post-fermentation.

In the first period, table salt causes plasmolysis of cabbage cells and extracts the moisture contained in the cabbage. The extractive substances contained in the cabbage cells pass into the brine. During this fermentation period, the salt concentration in the brine is high and microorganisms cannot develop in it. As moisture is further released from the cabbage, the salt concentration in the brine decreases and conditions are created for microbiological processes. There is a slight cloudiness of the juice and strong gas formation caused by the activity of yeast, coli bacteria and other microorganisms. The foam that appears is removed, as it serves as a good environment for the development of foreign microorganisms. At the same time, lactic acid bacteria begin to act and gradually occupy a predominant position. The rate of fermentation, and therefore the quality of the product, depends on temperature. The most favorable temperature is 17-22°C. At lower temperatures, fermentation proceeds slowly, which degrades the quality of the finished product. Higher temperatures are also undesirable, as this will promote the development of foreign microflora.

The first stage of the process ends with the beginning of the proliferation of lactic acid bacteria. This stage should be carried out quickly so that the resulting lactic acid suppresses the development of foreign microorganisms as quickly as possible.

The second period - main fermentation - is characterized by the accumulation of lactic acid as a result of the decomposition of sugars.

The most favorable temperature for the second period of the process is also about 20°C, at which fermentation lasts 5-7 days. At this fermentation temperature, the relatively rapid development of lactic acid bacteria is ensured and side processes are inhibited. Sauerkraut is obtained with less alcohol and volatile acids, with greater retention of ascorbic acid.

Lactic acid fermentation stops when 1.5-2.0% lactic acid is formed in the product. The most pleasant to taste is cabbage with an acidity of 0.7-1.3%, containing 1.2-1.8% table salt.

The third period of the fermentation process is characterized by the fact that the accumulated lactic acid begins to suppress the activity of lactic acid bacteria. At the same time, in conditions of high acidity, molds and filmy yeasts develop well, which destroy lactic acid. To prevent their development, sauerkraut is stored at a temperature of 0... -2°C, using natural and artificial cold. Cabbage is stored in the same pots in which it was fermented, at a relative air humidity of 90-95%, which significantly reduces the evaporation of moisture from the surface. The best ones are the doshniks, the lower part of which is located in an artificially cooled basement.

Despite the wide variety of factory-canned vegetables, home-produced products are in high demand among consumers.

Pickled cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms are those dishes that are sure to be present on any holiday table.

The taste of such products is always higher than that of factory stamped products.

Canning vegetables and fruits - for home business. It requires minimal start-up costs.

To purchase vegetables, glassware, and devices for sterilizing them, you will need only 5-10 thousand rubles.

Fruit and vegetable canning business

It can be:

• various salads,
• homemade treatment,
• homemade ketchup,
• salted tomatoes,
• cucumbers,
• mushrooms.

Some entrepreneurs even canned meat. A businessman should not be afraid to experiment. His family members and relatives will always be able to appreciate the quality and taste of home-canned food.

Recipes for original preparations can be found on the Internet. Fortunately, today there are many culinary forums and groups on social networks where people willingly share their accumulated knowledge.

It is advisable to purchase raw materials for canning vegetables at home from small wholesale stores in your city.

As a rule, prices for agricultural products are lowest there. If an entrepreneur has friends or relatives living in the village, he can purchase vegetables directly from them.

As a rule, residents of rural areas sell their crops at low selling prices. In addition, in this case there will be no doubt about the quality of the feedstock.

It is advisable to start your own business producing canned vegetables at the end of summer, when prices for vegetables and fruits are lowest.

To start your own business in this direction, you will also need to purchase sugar, salt, and various spices.

An important stage in organizing such a home business is the formation of a pricing policy.

The cost of canned vegetables can be set slightly higher than that of factory-prepared vegetables.

However, products must remain accessible to consumers at different income levels.

How to organize a business in canning vegetables and fruits

In order for the vegetable canning business to be as profitable as possible, an entrepreneur needs to use several sales channels for manufactured products.

It is advisable to open your own retail outlet in the city market. In this case, the flow of buyers will be consistently high at any time of the year.

In addition, you should rent a small corner in one of the supermarkets.

You can sell products to end customers on social networks by creating several groups to sell your culinary masterpieces.

The advantage of a home-based vegetable canning business is the ability to gradually expand it.

When the entrepreneur’s profit becomes consistently high, he will be able to start canning or freezing fruits and berries, making jams, preserves, compotes, and juices.

The profitability of such a business depends on many factors (pricing policy, production volumes, etc.).

Experienced chefs often manage to earn up to 100 thousand rubles from selling home-canned food in one summer season.

You can get free business consultations in my VK group "

Sauerkraut, requirements for the quality of raw materials, recommended varieties of cabbage for processing, preparation of raw materials and containers

Sauerkraut is prepared in fermentation and pickling stations, workshops that are equipped with mechanized production lines for the preparation of main and auxiliary raw materials, containers, preparation of brine, packaging of products before sale, equipment of premises for fermentation and storage of pickled products, mechanization of loading and unloading operations as much as possible. . All raw materials (cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, etc.) and components (salt, sourdough, etc.), spices and water used in the technological process for the production of salted and fermented products must meet the requirements of current standards and technical specifications.

Sauerkraut is shredded (chopped) fresh white cabbage with the addition of salt and carrots, as well as other components (apples, cranberries, etc.) that improve its consumer properties, and subjected to a fermentation process.

Depending on the cooking methods, sauerkraut is prepared in the following types: shredded, chopped, cabbage with shredded cabbage, cabbage with chopped cabbage, whole cabbage.

In accordance with the recipes, fermentation and pickling stations produce a wide range of shredded or chopped sauerkraut, for example, shredded or chopped without components, with carrots (3...5%), with whole apples or apple slices (8%), with lingonberries or cranberries (2%), with cumin (0.05%), with carrots and sweet peppers (10%) and other components.

When preparing cabbage for pickling, the losses are, % by weight: peeled fresh cabbage - 8, fresh carrots - 16, cranberries and lingonberries -10, fresh beets - no more than 20, sweet pepper -25, bay leaf - 1, fresh, chopped apples slices or quarters - up to 16.

Production losses during short-term storage, as well as peeling and preparing raw materials, fermentation of standard cabbage and unloading sauerkraut from doshniks are set to no more than 20% of the mass of cabbage peeled and placed in doshnik.

Losses when cutting a stump on a machine are 10.8%, and when cutting with a knife - 13% of the mass of peeled cabbage.

It is allowed to produce sauerkraut according to recipes taking into account national cuisine (Georgian, spicy, amateur, with plums, with raisins, from green leaves, etc.) for sale within the relevant region or under an agreement.

The technological process of preparing sauerkraut includes the following operations: preparation and grinding of raw materials; placement of crushed components according to the recipe in barrels (docks, cemented containers); compaction of cabbage and use of oppression; its fermentation and cooling.

Preparation of raw materials. It has been established that not every variety is suitable for processing,

White cabbage must contain: Sugars - at least 4.7%, water-soluble dry substances - at least 8.5, vitamin C - at least 45 mg per 100 g. Heads of cabbage must be uniform, preferably flat-round, medium-sized, dense , well formed, with a shallow inner stump, leaves without coarse venation, white color, without purple pigment. For fermentation, not only mid-late and late varieties are used, but also first-generation hybrids, which are more resistant to diseases and pests, are more productive and, when processed, produce high-quality products, for example: Snow White, Gift, Slava, Zimovka, Quartet, Moscow Late, Khutorok .

White cabbage intended for fermentation is served to the cleaning area, where the top contaminated and green leaves are removed, and at the same time the stump is cut flush with the head of cabbage. Cleaned and weighed cabbage should be processed the same day. The green leaves are washed and used to cover the top layer of shredded cabbage in the doshniks.

When preparing cabbage, mechanization means are widely used.

The peeled heads of cabbage are placed in containers and fed to a shredding machine.

Shred the cabbage using a shredding machine, ensuring uniform cutting into narrow (no wider than 5 mm) strips. Cabbage is chopped without large pieces of leaves, stems and coarse stump particles.

When fermenting cabbage with layers of shredded or chopped cabbage, the heads of cabbage can be cut into halves. The weight of whole heads of cabbage and halves should be no more than 0.8 kg.

Carrot roots are sorted by quality on inspection conveyors or sorting tables, removing all defective and foreign impurities, washed, peeled, rinsed, inspected and crushed. To wash root crops, paddle washers, universal washers or drum washers are used. If there is significant contamination, root vegetables are pre-soaked in containers.

Root vegetables are peeled mechanically using machines or by steam-thermal method, and inspected and further cleaned manually on an inspection roller conveyor, then rinsed under a shower at a water pressure of 0.2...0.3 kPa.

Carrots are chopped or thinly cut into strips 3...5 mm wide or into circles no more than 3 mm thick and 5...40 mm in diameter using "Rhythm" vegetable cutters, etc.

Sweet peppers are inspected on an inspection conveyor and washed in elevator or fan washing machines. The stalks and seeds are removed using a pepper de-seeding machine or manually using conical tubes. After cleaning, the pepper is inspected and rinsed under the shower on an inspection conveyor, and then crushed on a cutting machine into strips 3...5 mm wide.

Apples are sorted on inspection conveyors, washed in washing machines or in baths with running water, and then sorted. If apples cut into two or four parts are placed in cabbage, then the seed chamber must be removed. Before adding them to the cabbage, chopped apples are placed in a 2% salt solution to prevent darkening.

Cranberries and lingonberries are sorted by quality, leaves, twigs and other impurities are removed, washed in clean water or under a shower at a pressure of no more than 0.5 kPa.

Table salt is removed from packaging, sifted and passed through a magnetic metal separator.

Laying cabbage and components. Cabbage is peeled on the table , waste is removed using conveyors . Cleaned heads of cabbage go to the shredding machine . Shredded cabbage falls onto vibrating sieves, sifts and is transferred to a conveyor , and the leaf plates and stumps remaining on the sieve are again fed to the shredder or vegetable cutting machine. The dispenser distributes clean, root-cut carrots. Salt is added to the shredded cabbage using a dispenser. Cabbage with carrots and salt from an inclined conveyor enters a reversible conveyor , and from it to receiving containers . The latter are installed on both sides of the reversible conveyor on platforms of commodity-lever scales equipped with contacts. After filling the container, the weighing platform , when lowering, it turns on the contacts of the electric motor of the reversible conveyor, and it begins to move in the opposite direction, filling the second free container installed on the scales on the other side of the conveyor. The weighed container is delivered to the dock by an electric forklift. . The loader pusher pushes forward the casing of the container without a bottom, and the shredded cabbage falls into the bottom, partially compacting. When filling the doshnik, the cabbage is leveled with tinned or wooden or stainless steel rakes with a long handle and compacted with tampers. The doshnik is filled with cabbage to a cone 1 m above the edges, then the cabbage is covered with clean leaves, plastic wrap or boiled clean cloth.

When fermenting cabbage with layers of shredded or chopped cabbage, place the peeled heads of cabbage in one row on the bottom of the doshnik, then each row is layered with shredded or chopped cabbage in a layer of 10...15 cm, leveling and compacting it, and there should be no more than 50 whole heads or halves. %.

When fermenting whole cabbage, the prepared heads of cabbage are placed in a doshnik or container on a cone so that its top is 50 cm above the top edge of the doshnik. Then the heads of cabbage are covered with clean green leaves with a layer of at least 5 cm, a clean boiled cloth or plastic film is placed on top, tucking it at the edges of the bottom to a depth of 50 cm.

Cabbage compaction. After placing the cabbage, shredded and mixed with all the components in accordance with the recipe, into doshniks (containers), it is compacted using screw, water-salt or vacuum (non-pressure) methods.

At screw In this method, a clean pressure circle made of wooden boards with a thickness of at least 40 mm is placed on top of the cabbage in a dowel, coated on the outside with paraffin, racks and beams are installed and, using screws, the cabbage is pressed until juice appears on top. Subsequently, by regularly tightening the nuts of the oppression screw, juice appears on top of the cabbage.

On whole cabbage laid in a doshnik, first place a pressure circle on top, and then fill it with brine at a table salt concentration of 40 g per 1 liter. The brine should cover the pressure circle with a layer of 3...5 cm.

At water-salt method, after two hours of self-compacting of the cabbage (10...15 cm below the top level of the bottom plate), a plastic film with a thickness of 150...200 microns is placed on top of the cabbage, 0.8 m larger than the diameter of the top sheet or the sides of the cemented container; table top is poured onto the film in an even layer salt at the rate of 10...12 kg per 10-ton container and gradually, as the cabbage settles (but not less than 20 cm from the top edge of the bottom), pour 500...600 liters of tap water, which presses the film tightly against walls of the doshnik (container), creating anaerobic conditions during cabbage fermentation and immersing the cabbage in juice. The salt solution and film are used several times.

As a water-salt oppression, you can use specially made pillows (chambers) made of rubberized fabric and other plastic materials, the size and shape corresponding to the container used for fermentation . The chamber is installed on top of the container above the cabbage layer and filled with brine or water through tubes located in its upper part.

The advantage of water-salt compression is that it is reliable and easy to operate, requires less labor and material costs, and reduces total losses by 5...7% compared to a screw press (compression).

Vacuum(non-pressure) method of compacting cabbage is used in bottoms and containers with polyethylene liners pre-placed in them. After filling them with shredded cabbage (50 cm above the top edge), the products are leveled so that in the middle there is a depression 20...30 cm deep, into which a plastic cap is installed, having previously attached to it a fitting with a check valve or a water seal. The fitting with the hose must be mounted into the neck of the liner.

The neck is welded using a welding machine with a liner or sealed with a profile lock (lock). A vacuum pump is connected to the fitting with the hose and the air is gradually (in one step) pumped out: at a residual pressure of 7 kPa (50 mm water column) for 5...7 minutes; 13 (100) - 5...7; 20 (150) - 10; 26 (200) -10; 39 kPa (300 mm water column) - 10...15 min.

Vacuuming is carried out until the cabbage is completely compacted and juice appears on top. After this, a passport is attached to each doshnik, which indicates the doshnik number, the mass of cabbage with salt and ingredients, the name of the sauerkraut and the name of the shift foreman.

Fermentation of cabbage. After compaction, shredded cabbage is fermented for 7...10 days. at a temperature of 18...24 "C until 0.7% lactic acid accumulates. During the fermentation process, the temperature and content of lactic acid are regularly determined, for which periodically from each bottom at at least two points at a depth of 75... 100 and 150 ... 175 cm samples of cabbage are taken along with the juice. The samples are combined into an average and analyzed. To take brine samples during cabbage fermentation, a rigid hose, perforated in the lower part, must be lowered against the wall of the bottom.

Lactic acid accumulates more vigorously at elevated temperatures. The accumulation of lactic acid to 0.7%, i.e. to the minimum (standardized) value for sauerkraut, occurs at 21 ° C on the 5th day, at 11.5 ° C - between 10...15 for days, at 5.8 "C - between 15...20 days, and at 2.5" C - only on the 30th day of fermentation. It should be noted that the maximum content of lactic acid accumulates at the highest and lowest temperatures towards the end of fermentation. At medium temperatures, the least amount of lactic acid is observed at the end of fermentation due to the abundant development of microorganisms that consume lactic acid. The highest rating during the tasting was given to sauerkraut with a lactic acid content of 0.7...1.0% and the presence of unused sugars in it.

Lactic acid accumulates most actively in the upper layer of cabbage juice at both high and low fermentation temperatures compared to juice taken from the cabbage layer.

Fermentation stages. During the fermentation process, three (sometimes four, if the second is divided into two) stages are distinguished, characterized by the development of diverse microflora.

initial stage characterized by abundant foaming. During this period, at pH 6.2, aerobic microorganisms begin to rapidly develop: yeast, rod-shaped bacteria, in particular coliform bacteria, gas and acid formers, various cocci, typical epiphytes. The development of such a mixed microflora, which releases various metabolic products and uses residual amounts of oxygen in fermented cabbage, significantly affects the taste and smell of the finished product. At this time, small amounts of formic, acetic, succinic, propionic, lactic, butyric acids, ethyl alcohol are formed, carbon dioxide is released, and methane is released in negligible quantities.

First stage lasts 1...3 days. Aerobic microorganisms absorb oxygen and create conditions for the development of anaerobes.

Main stage begins with the development of heterofermentative lactic acid coccoid bacteria, which become dominant by the end of 2...3 days. The vital activity of this species is determined by the smell of benign cabbage. These bacteria not only have a high growth rate, but also rapid cell death. In addition to lactic acid, acetic acid, ethyl alcohol, ethers, carbon dioxide, and mannitol are also formed (the presence of the latter gives cabbage a bitter taste).

After 4...6 days of fermentation, the coccal form is replaced by homo-fermentative lactic acid rod-shaped bacteria. They provide the main fermentation process, since when fermenting carbohydrates, bacteria produce only lactic acid. No other organic acids were found among the metabolites of this species. The most favorable temperatures for their development are 18...21 °C.

During the main stage of fermentation, the number of bacteria reaches many millions of cells in 1 cm 3 of brine. The content of lactic acid during this period reaches 1.5...2.0%, which eliminates the bitter taste of cabbage. During this period, active activity of yeast is observed, accumulating up to 1% alcohol, which, when combined with acids, produces esters.

During this period, active activity of yeast is observed, accumulating up to 1% alcohol, which, when combined with acids, produces esters.

Final stage fermentation is completed by the end of the fifth week. After the accumulation of 1.5-2.0% lactic acid, sugars and mannitol still remain, and heterofermentative lactic acid rod-shaped bacteria begin to predominate among microorganisms: mainly other flavor-forming species, which are relatively weakly sensitive to the acidity of the environment and salt content. At this stage, pentosans are fermented, the concentration of lactic acid reaches 2.0-2.5%, the pH drops to 3.4-3.8, the ratio of acetic and lactic acids is 1:4. Along with lactic acid, sauerkraut contains 0.25% ethyl alcohol, mannitol, dextran and other products. Fermentation ends when all carbohydrates have been used. During this period, yeast develops as a film on the surface of the cabbage. The alcohol concentration decreases due to the fact that this compound is used by other microorganisms as a source of carbohydrate, and, in addition, it reacts with organic acids, forming esters that give a pleasant aroma to cabbage.

Under production conditions, fermentation is not carried out until the final stage, since the best taste properties of sauerkraut are observed with a lactic acid content of 0.7-1.3%, which meets the requirements of the standard for the first grade.

Cooling and storage. You can stop the fermentation process when sauerkraut has the best taste properties by lowering the temperature to 0...-1.2 °C (first method). For this, barrels of sauerkraut (if there is 0.7 % lactic acid) from the fermentation department is transported to the storage department, to refrigeration chambers. When fermenting cabbage in doshniks or cemented containers, the finished product is transferred to clean, prepared barrels, the capping bottom is inserted and brine is poured through the tongue hole, the tongue hole is closed and the barrels are transported to refrigeration chambers.

The second way to cool and store fermented products is to rapidly cool them using artificial cold. In this case, refrigerant with a temperature of -8...-10 ° C (calcium chloride solution), which is cooled from the compressor station, is supplied to the bottoms, equipped with stainless steel coils located on the bottom and top of the bottom. Within 2...5 days, the cabbage is cooled to -1...-2 "C, then it is stored without significant changes for up to 8 months.

In fermentation shops, where the doshniks are located in the basement, and their upper part is brought to the first floor, after the fermentation process is completed, the sauerkraut is cooled with snow, bringing it into the basement and filling the entire space between the doshniks with it. Snow is poured on top of the doshnik onto the pressure circle and in frosty weather it is filled with water. In this case, a snow-ice cover is formed. Under these conditions, cabbage is stored refrigerated until spring.