Hongxing Pickled Cabbage

Hongxing Pickled Cabbage

Hongxing Pickled Cabbage is a Geographical Indication Protected Product.

　　Hongxing Pickled Cabbage is a specialty of the Hongxing Farm area in Beian City, Heihe, Heilongjiang Province. It appears white or light yellow with a glossy sheen; the texture is crisp and tender, with a pleasant sourness and the distinctive fermented aroma of the vegetables used, and no off-odors. Hongxing Pickled Cabbage has been awarded Geographical Indication Product status.

　　The “Liumaohe” brand organic pickled cabbage produced in the Hongxing Farm area of Beian City, Heilongjiang Province, has an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons and has successfully entered international markets, including those of the United States, Japan, and EU countries.

　　All pickled cabbage produced at Hongxing Farm follows the procedures for organic pickled cabbage. For the cultivation of the raw material—cabbage—organically certified land that has met multiple international standards (including those of the United States, Japan, and the EU) as well as domestic certifications is selected. During the pickling process, artificial inoculation with lactic acid bacteria is employed to ferment the cabbage, effectively preventing the growth of harmful microbes and inhibiting the formation of carcinogens such as nitrites. This avoids the common issues of spoilage, discoloration, and off-flavors associated with natural fermentation, resulting in pickled cabbage with higher nutritional value that is favored by consumers both domestically and abroad.

　　Hongxing Pickled Cabbage

　　 The current administrative region of the Hongxing Farm area in Beian City, Heilongjiang Province

　　 “Letter from the Heilongjiang Provincial Reclamation Bureau of Beian on Defining the Protection Scope of the Geographical Indication Product ‘Hongxing Pickled Cabbage’,” Bei Ken Ju Cheng [2012] No. 129

　　 “Production and Processing Technical Specifications for ‘Hongxing Pickled Cabbage’”

　　Quality and Technical Requirements for Hongxing Pickled Cabbage

　　I. Varieties

　　High-Cold Spring-Autumn, Golden Autumn 9, CR-Quanmei, CR-Jinbi, Zhenxin 3, Wangchun, etc.

　　II. Site Conditions

　　Flat terrain with convenient irrigation and drainage; soil types include silt loam, loam, and light clay, with organic matter content ≥1%, pH value between 5.0 and 6.0, and plowing layer thickness of 30cm to 35cm.

　　III. Cultivation Management

　　1. Seeding: Seeding time for autumn cabbage is mid-to-late July, with seeding amount of 180g to 220g per 667㎡ (mu).

　　2. Transplanting: When seedlings have 7–8 leaves, thinning is done to maintain 2,300 to 3,000 plants per 667㎡ (mu).

　　3. Fertilization: Apply ≥1,000kg of well-rotted organic fertilizer per 667㎡ (mu).

　　4. Environmental and Safety Requirements: The use of pesticides, fertilizers, etc., must comply with national regulations and must not cause environmental pollution.

　　IV. Harvesting

　　1. Harvest Time: Summer cabbage is harvested from early to late September; autumn cabbage is harvested from early to late October.

　　2. Harvest Standards: Plant height over 30cm, plump heart, slightly yellow color; root length ≤1 cm (no black-eye phenomenon); leaf moisture ≤90%; summer cabbage ≥2kg net weight per head, autumn cabbage ≥2.5kg net weight per head.

　　IV. Water for Pickling

　　Water from the Wuyuer River system flowing through the production area, which must meet national drinking water standards.

　　V. Production and Processing Technology of Pickled Cabbage

　　1. Process Flow: Material selection → Pre-treatment.

　　2. Process Requirements:

　　(1) Material Selection: Manually select and remove damaged, mechanically injured, rotten-heart, or frost-damaged cabbage.

　　(2) Pre-treatment: Before adding ingredients, the cabbage should be pre-treated through natural stacking for one day.

　　(3) Washing, blanching, cooling, and filling: The washing water in the bubble washing machine should be changed promptly. After washing, the cabbage enters the blanching machine, with the temperature controlled between 82–85°C for summer and autumn cabbages, for 1 to 1.5 minutes. Cooling must be thorough to quickly reduce the temperature of the blanched cabbage to below 27°C.

　　(4) Preparation of auxiliary materials: Brining salt is used to prepare brine at 2–2.5% of the total raw material weight (keep 100 kg of salt in reserve), then pumped into the storage tank for later use. Approximately 3 tons of bacterial solution are prepared per batch. The total amount of bacterial solution added is 3% of the raw material weight.

　　(5) Addition of brine and bacterial solution: When the cabbage is filled to one-third and two-thirds respectively, add about 2 tons of brine and 1 ton of bacterial solution; when the cabbage is fully loaded, add water to submerge the cabbage and pour in the remaining brine and bacterial solution, then cover with a grate and evenly sprinkle the reserved 100 kg of brining salt.

　　(6) Brining: The fermentation time is 30 to 40 days.

　　(7) Shredding: The shred width is 3 mm for first-grade cabbage and 2 mm for second-grade cabbage.

　　(8) Packaging and sterilization: Sterilize and package via water bath sterilization.

　　(9) Storage: Store at 0–15°C.

　　VI. Quality Characteristics

　　1. Sensory characteristics: White or light yellow with gloss; crisp and tender texture with moderate acidity and the corresponding fermented vegetable aroma, and no off-odors.

　　2. Physicochemical indicators: Salt content ≤4.0%, total acid content ≤2.0%.

　　3. Safety and other quality technical requirements: The product safety and other quality technical requirements must comply with relevant national regulations.