Towards OCOP with pomelo peel and dried kumquat jam

With the desire to make products that bring benefits to health, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lai (born 1986, living in Phu An hamlet, Phu Hoa town, Thoai Son district, An Giang) has successfully researched and researched. pomelo peel and kumquat (almond) jam. The product has its own unique flavor, is well received and liked by the market.
As the Chairman of the Oriental Medicine Association of Phu Hoa town, Ms. Lai has been successful with a start-up project called “Phu Hoa Confectionery”, the combination of honey with turmeric, easy to preserve, easy to use and very effective. results with stomach pain. 1 year ago, Ms. Lai researched new products, which are pomelo peel and dried kumquat jam.

Sharing about her new product, Ms. Lai expressed: “Consumers now tend to reduce sweetness and care more about health … I think, fruit peel, especially grapefruit peel are not only processed. making jam to “play with”, but also used to support a number of diseases, such as: reducing blood fat, fatty liver, reducing cholesterol, clearing neck, supporting digestion … After that, I started to produce dried grapefruit peel jam to support health ”. Ms. Lai aims to achieve OCOP standard for the products of pomelo peel and kumquat in the future Also using grapefruit peel as jam, but the pomelo peel product of Mrs. Lai is not dried but only dried. When eating grapefruit peel, you can still feel the full flavor of grapefruit, keep the green color of grapefruit like when you first picked it, bite into a piece of grapefruit that is both flexible and fragrant, making people remember. Any journey to new things is also challenging and arduous, as is the case with Ms. Lai. Initially experiencing, researching to launch new products, Lai herself has failed many times. Just a small process of processing the wrong product with the wrong formula will spoil the experimental batch of dried pomelo jam. In that process, she both works and learns from experience, and at the same time, continuously corrects the recipe to produce a complete product. With a high determination to bring to the market a new product line, Ms. Lai does not stop researching, so it takes a long time for the pomelo peel jam and dried kumquat to be successful. When it comes to grapefruit peel, the process of processing bitter ingredients is not easy. In the grapefruit peel contains a large amount of essential oils. This is the ingredient that makes up the characteristic flavor of the product. But this is what causes the product to be bitter if not handled properly. According to Ms. Lai, the selected pomelo peel material must be a new, fresh shell. Do not choose shells that have been wilted, rotten, or have black spots on the surface. It can be said that the choice of raw materials greatly affects the color and taste of the finished product. Towards OCOP products in the future, Ms. Lai determined that the dried fruit jam or kumquat must be clean from the ingredients to the table, so, right from the selection of ingredients, Ms. Lai is very strict. With the jam of pomelo peel and pomelo peel, she chose to be the quality green skin pomelo variety of a business household buying and selling rice, Hung Hanh rice variety, the product has been assessed and recognized by the province as 3-star OCOP standard. “The plasticizing process is the most important. Because just keep low heat, just have to stir your hands evenly on the stove. Just a little negligence, the peel of grapefruit or kumquat will be dry and hard, not finished as expected. To make 1kg of dried pomelo peel jam, it takes 4 grapefruit fruits. With the selling price of 350,000 VND / kg of dried fruit jam / kumquat, my product is very attractive. Through the survey, many people believe that if the jam is delicious, high quality and brings health benefits, the price is “slightly” better than the market, they also accept it. Through the launch at the booth “OCOP products accompanying consumers in An Giang in 2021” took place from January 8 to January 10, 2021 at the pedestrian street of Ho Chi Minh City. Long Xuyen, my 2 products are favored by consumers. Since then, I have continuously orders. Currently, on average, each month, I sell to the market more than 20kg of pomelo peel jam, dried kumquat, on holidays and Tet, I have increased a lot ”- Mrs. Lai confided. Ms. Lai has invested in a small plastic dryer which costs 7-8 million VND. When making products, she hires some local idle workers (preferably disabled) to pack and pack for 10,000 VND / kg. Currently, her products have been tested by the Quality Control Center (Can Tho City) with no preservatives, no color products, no chemical residues, no plant protection drugs, and at the same time certified. food safety hygiene products.