毕业论文-魔芋芦荟果冻加工工艺的研究.doc

魔芋芦荟果冻加工工艺的研究摘要：在测定了魔芋胶等多种单一胶的粘度及凝胶特性的基础上，探索了双胶、三胶及四胶复合后的凝胶性能，并通过试验，确定了复合胶的配方。实验结果表明：黄原胶及卡拉胶对魔芋胶有强烈的增效作用；魔芋胶及卡拉胶对产品性能影响最大；最佳复合胶比例为：魔芋胶：黄原胶：卡拉胶：琼脂=4：2：2：1；研究了以芦荟为主要原料的果冻生产工艺,分析了复合胶用量、柠檬酸用量、糖用量对芦荟果冻产品的影响确定了复合胶、柠檬酸、糖的比例,以复合魔芋胶,蔗糖,柠檬酸为最佳用量利用感官评定方法确定了芦荟果冻的合理配方及加工工艺参数,研制出芦荟果汁果冻产品。关键词：魔芋；芦荟；果冻；工艺；一、前言1.1引言魔芋是天南星科草本植物的块茎,我国魔芋资源十分丰富。魔芋精粉是魔芋干燥、粉碎后的产品,其主要成分为魔芋葡甘聚糖,它是由D-葡萄糖和D-甘露糖按一定比例以糖苷键连接起来的高分子多糖。魔芋葡甘聚糖分子量大,粘度很高,对糖尿病、大肠癌有一定的防治作用,并有良好的减肥功效,可制成低热、低脂的保健食品1。食品行业对芦荟的开发卓著在饮料及保健品方面备受关注,它的开发利用能够更好的满足现代消费者对于食品“天然、营养、健康”的要求。近年来, 以魔芋胶为胶凝剂生产的果冻, 因其风味浓郁, 含糖量低等特点而发展很快2。芦荟是一种集医药、食品、美容、保健和观赏为一体的植物,它含有多种有效成分, 具有增强免疫力, 促进肠蠕动的功能,可用来治疗胃溃疡、便秘、糖尿病, 也可作为人们的营养补充食品。并有防辐射、防治血管病的作用芦荟中含有丰富的葱醒类化合物、多糖、有机酸、蛋白质、多肤、游离的氨基酸、多种微量元素、维生素、叶绿素、树脂、多种活性酶及幽类化合物等具有特定功能的高活性成分, 正是这些成分协同作用, 使芦荟的应用越来越广3。芦荟果冻具有爽滑可口、香味浓郁和食用方便等特点, 是时下流行的食品, 深受人们的喜爱。具有光滑形状, 切割时有弹性芦荟果冻主要采用糖、果冻用凝胶剂、柠檬酸、香精、色素等制成芦荟去皮后呈凝胶状, 具有制作芦荟果冻的良好条件制作芦荟果冻时, 使糖、酸、果冻用凝胶剂等配料与芦荟凝胶渗透均匀, 以改善芦荟的组织状态及风味研究了芦荟果肉果冻的生产工艺, 开发以芦荟为原料系列果冻产品4。芦荟果冻具有光滑形状,切割时有弹性.芦荟果冻主要采用糖、果冻用凝胶剂、柠檬酸、香精、色素等制成芦荟去皮后呈凝胶状,具有制作芦荟果冻的良好条件制作芦荟果冻时,使糖、酸、果冻用凝胶剂等配料与芦荟凝胶渗透均匀,以改善芦荟的组织状态及风味研究了芦荟果肉果冻的生产工艺,开发以芦荟为原料系列果冻产品5。1.2研究目的及意义传统的果冻产品大多以高甲氧基果胶为胶凝剂。高糖酸的果冻制品口感差,糖份含量过高,低糖化已成为健康食品的趋势之一。近年来,以魔芋胶、卡拉胶为胶凝剂生产的果冻,因其风味浓郁,含糖量低等特点而发展很快,但仍然存在一些质量问题,主要表现在析水量大、口感欠佳等方面6。本研究的目的旨在验证以实验室试制的复配魔芋胶为胶凝剂生产果冻能否解决以上质量问题。果冻以其爽滑的口感和宜人的口味备受广大消费者特别是儿童的青睐，成为当今一种流行的休闲食品。果冻可采用海藻提取物5琼脂、卡拉胶、海藻酸钠等;、果胶、明胶及魔芋胶等作为凝胶成分，特别是近几年出现的魔芋果冻，因魔芋胶的保健功能即对糖尿病、肥胖症、高血压、结肠癌及心脑血管疾病具有一定的治疗预防作用和特别的凝胶性能等特点而发展很快7。但使用单一魔芋胶存在着胶凝能力较弱、胶用量大、产品析水量大等不足。本研究探索以魔芋胶为基础，复合其他胶凝剂的最佳配方，生产优质果冻.目前，食品行业对芦荟的开发卓著在饮料及保健品方面备受关注,它的开发利用能够更好的满足现代消费者对于食品“天然、营养、健康”的要求8。因此，以具有低热量的蛋白糖，甜蜜素作为甜味剂，以具有“保健长寿食品”的海藻酸钠和营养作用的琼脂等作为凝胶剂，并引入芦荟叶肉，集芦荟独特的营养保健功能与果冻的细腻可口风味于一体，可为芦荟的深加工提供一种新方法，开发前景不可限量9。二、实验材料与方法2.1实验材料2.1.1 材料与试剂原料：新鲜芦荟叶（市场购买）、魔芋胶、琼脂、卡拉胶、明胶、阿拉伯树胶、海藻酸钠、黄原胶。试剂：增稠剂、蔗糖、柠檬酸、防腐剂（山梨酸钾）、香精、食用绿色素、0.2%的抗坏血酸溶液。2.1.2 实验仪器FA2104万分之一电子天平 (上海民桥精密科学仪器有限公司)高温电炉 (M287210_北京中西远大科技有限公司)酸度计 (m184851 0418北京中西远大科技有限公司)恒温水浴锅 （HH系列 常州市国华仪器厂）高速组织捣碎机 (JJ-2B-金坛市城西春兰实验仪器厂)2.2 实验方法2.2.1芦荟果冻工艺流程芦荟筛选清洗去皮芦荟果肉切粒榨汁复合魔芋胶、蔗糖、水蔗糖、柠檬酸、水加热溶化过滤混合灌装杀菌冷却成品。 芦荟汁、色素2.2.2 实验步骤1)将市场买来的芦荟叶经过挑选无斑点无虫害、新鲜饱满、肉质肥厚的芦荟叶片。用流动的水清洗、去皮，为防止褐变应迅速热烫（9095，35min）切成形状规则的芦荟粒后置于0.2%的抗坏血酸溶液中护色处理。将芦荟粒放入高速组织捣碎机中打浆，将芦荟浆液用三层纱布过滤得到芦荟汁，并经过杀菌密封储藏备用。2)将一定量的复合胶与蔗糖干混，防止其相互间结团，混合物在搅拌下加入到定量的40-60蒸馏水中，浸泡10min，使复合胶充分吸水，再边搅拌边加热至沸腾，恒沸5min；按比例配制蔗糖、柠檬酸、绿色素的混合液, 再与上述调配的复合胶、蔗糖混合液混合调配；调配时，将温度控制在60-80，防止温度降低，复合胶冷却形成凝胶，保持复合胶与糖全溶。3) 用三层纱布过滤调配好的混合液, 去除气泡、颗粒物、杂质等，制成透明、粘滑的糖胶液。4）把芦荟果汁（15ml）与过滤液在80下混合；5）把调配好的糖胶体与芦荟果汁的混合液在通过热罐装装入果冻杯中，趁热用保鲜膜封口，放入85热水中杀菌30min，然后放入流动冷水中，迅速冷却至常温，即得成品。2.2.3 复合胶的配制采用单一胶的凝胶性能，以及双胶和多胶复合凝胶性能的比较来确定试验果冻用胶。具体方法如下：1）选取常用的胶质黄原胶、卡拉胶、海藻酸纳、明胶、琼脂及魔芋胶为对象，在相同浓度（1.1%）下，观察其凝胶特性。2）尽管魔芋胶凝胶性能不是很好，但与其它胶混合后，凝胶性能明显增强。3）为了进一步改善口感及果冻外观，在双胶组合的基础上继续对三胶及四胶作进一步复合试验。4）由表3可知，以魔芋胶、黄原胶、卡拉胶和琼脂四种胶组成的混合胶各方面效果最佳，我们选取魔芋胶、黄原胶、卡拉胶及琼脂为四个因素，以单因素实验确定三个水平，最后用四因素三水平正交试验来确定四种胶的配合比例。试验因素水平表如表1：表1 试验因素水平表因素水平A魔芋胶（%）B黄原胶（%）C卡拉胶（%）D琼脂（%）1866326442332212.2.4 果冻试验配方的确定选取胶、蔗糖、柠檬酸和芦荟汁为四个因素，通过正交试验来确定果冻加工各因素的最佳配比，试验因素水平表如表2：表2 试验因素水平表因素水平A复合胶（%）B蔗糖（%）C柠檬酸（%）D芦荟原汁（%）11.1150.251621.0140.201530.9130.15142.2.5 果冻感官评分标准表3 果冻感官评分标准项目067131420透明度浑浊比较透明透明色泽昏暗较暗淡明亮口感过酸或过甜有点酸或甜酸甜可口脆性粘稠有点脆脆均一性有泡沫或成团无明显泡沫或团状均匀三、结果与分析3.1 魔芋胶复配结果分析3.1.1 单一胶的凝胶性能比较表4 单一胶的凝胶性能胶质凝胶状态魔芋胶凝乳状、乳白色、均一性好、透明黄原胶凝乳状、灰白色、均一性好、不透明卡拉胶凝乳状、灰白色、均一性较好、透明一般海藻酸钠凝乳状、无色、均一性好、透明琼脂凝胶、乳白色、均一性好、半透明明胶无色透明溶液由表4结果可以看出，单一胶的粘度大小顺序为：琼脂黄原胶卡拉胶魔芋胶海藻酸钠明胶。浓度为1.1%时，只有琼脂可以成为凝胶，脆性好，但弹性差。明胶成胶性最差，只是溶胶。故考虑采用复配胶来制作果冻。3.1.2 双胶组合凝胶性能比较实验中发现，尽管魔芋胶单胶粘度不是最大，但和其它胶混合后，粘度增大很多，故下面主要考虑魔芋胶与其它胶复配后的性能。表5 双胶组合凝胶性能胶质凝胶状态凝胶弹性韧性脆性均一性透明度1成胶好一般稍差好较好2成胶好稍差稍差一般一般3成胶差好好好一般4加钙成胶一般一般稍差好好5成胶较好差差好稍差注：胶质1代表魔芋胶+黄原胶；胶质2代表魔芋胶+卡拉胶；胶质3代表魔芋胶+琼脂；胶质4代表魔芋胶+海藻酸钠；胶质5代表魔芋胶+明胶.表5结果可以看出，相同浓度下，双胶比单胶的凝胶性能大大增强。特别是黄原胶和卡拉胶，它们对魔芋胶具有强烈的增效作用，这两组双胶比较接近果冻的要求，只是在口感及外观上还有不足。3.1.3 多胶组合性能比较为了改善口感及产品的外观，我们在双胶组合的基础上，继续对三胶及四胶作进一步复配实验。结果见表6。表6 多胶组合胶的凝胶性能胶质凝胶状态凝胶弹性韧性脆性均一性透明度6成胶好稍差稍差较好较好7成胶好较好较好较好较好8成胶好较好较好好好9成胶好好好好好注：胶质6为魔芋胶+黄原胶+卡拉胶；胶质7为魔芋胶+黄原胶+琼脂；胶质8为魔芋胶+卡拉胶+琼脂；胶质9为魔芋胶+黄原胶+卡拉胶+琼脂。表6结果可知，多胶组合的凝胶性能,透明度等感官指标明显比单胶和双胶好，特别以魔芋胶、黄原胶、卡拉胶和琼脂等四种胶组成的混合胶各方面效果最佳。3.1.4 四胶组合比例确定根据前面的试验结果，我们选取魔芋胶、黄原胶、卡拉胶、琼脂为四个因素，以单因素实验确定三个水平，最后选用四因素三水平正交试验表来确定四种胶的配合比例。实验结果见表7。表7 L9（34）正交试验结果序号A魔芋胶B黄原胶C卡拉胶D琼脂凝胶状态感官评分11（8%）1(6%)1(6%)1(3%)7212(4%)2(4%)2(2%)9313(2%)3(2%)3(1%)842（6%）123752231762312673132683（3%）2135933216K124201820K220212221K317202120R7141由表7可以看出，魔芋胶对产品凝胶及感官性能影响最大，其次是卡拉胶，黄原胶和琼脂对果冻产品的影响最小。所以实验用胶最佳配比为：A1B2C2D2即：魔芋胶：黄原胶：卡拉胶：琼脂=8：4：4：2，即4：2：2：1。3.2 果冻试验配方的确定通过正交试验确定胶用量、蔗糖、柠檬酸及芦荟原汁的比例。试验结果见表8： 表8 正交试验表序号A复合胶B蔗糖C柠檬酸D芦荟原汁综合评分11(1.1%)1(15%)1（0.25%）1（16%）70212(14%)2（0.20%）2（15%）85313(13%)3（0.15%）3（14%）7542(1.0%)123855223195623129073(0.9%)1328583213809332190K1230240240255K2270260260260K3255255255240R40202020由表8可以看出：果冻最佳试验配方为：A2B2C2D2，即：复合胶1.0%，蔗糖14%，柠檬酸0.20%，芦荟汁15%；通过极差R对正交试验分析可知：复合胶的添加量对果冻产品的影响最大，蔗糖、柠檬酸和芦荟原汁对果冻产品的影响相同。由此确定魔芋芦荟果冻的最佳原辅料配比为：魔芋胶0.44%，黄原胶0.22%，卡拉胶0.22%，琼脂0.11%，蔗糖14%，柠檬酸0.20%，芦荟汁15%，色素0.1%，水79.7%。四、结论4.1 芦荟的去皮芦荟叶肉的颜色由于蒽醌类化合物而逐渐变深.蒽醌类化合物主要含在皮里，所以去皮应尽可能去净，使凝胶中带入的蒽醌类化合物降到最低程度，并且适当的去皮不仅可脱除芦荟的苦味，还有利于成品的外观。4.2 芦荟叶肉添加量的影响长期以来，芦荟作为药物使用量较少。用作保健食品和美容化妆品则是近几年才在欧美和日本兴起。因芦荟性寒，应严格控制其日食用量；另外，芦荟叶肉添加量过小，则产品风味不突出，也达不到应有的保健功效；添加量过大，则产品芦荟苦味过于浓郁，不易为多数消费者接受，并使产品成本偏高。依据国家标准规定的要求和实验结果表明，15%的添加量较为合理。4.3 加热对芦荟制品的影响加热可达杀菌脱气的目的，但芦荟制品是一类特殊的保健功能食品或原料，要求其能最大限度的保留新鲜叶片中各种生物活性物质，所以不宜频繁高温处理，易影响芦荟中有效成分的含量，降低终产品的保健功效。因此一般采用低温生产工艺，避免长时间热处理。4.4柠檬酸的影响柠檬酸主要赋予产品酸味，与甜味剂配合可调节产品风味，并降低pH值，抑制细菌生长。其用量对口感和凝胶剂的稳定性影响较大，用量小于0.2%时，所得果冻口感过甜；当用量增加至产品pH值小于3.5时影响凝胶性。实验表明，柠檬酸用量为0.25%左右时，产品的凝胶性和口感最佳。4.5凝胶剂的选用由于单胶成胶性能较差，用量大，而且弹性、脆性和透明度都不理想，所以采用多胶复合，既使成品质量提升，也节约了成本。4.6果冻原辅料配比经过正交试验分析，最终确定魔芋芦荟果冻的最佳原辅料配比为：魔芋胶0.44%，黄原胶0.22%，卡拉胶0.22%，琼脂0.11%，蔗糖14%，柠檬酸0.20%，芦荟汁15%，色素0.1%，水79.7%。致 谢毕业论文代表着大学的终结，完成它既有一种收获感，又有一种失落感，但它却代表着我四年的努力，代表了我四年的学习历程。经过数天的忙碌和工作，本次毕业论文设计已经接近尾声，作为一个本科生的毕业论文设计，由于经验的匮乏，难免有许多考虑不周全的地方，如果没有导师的督促指导，以及一起工作的同学们的支持，想要完成这个设计是难以想象的。在这里首先要感谢我的论文导师郭老师，本论文是在郭老师的亲切关怀和悉心指导下完成的。她严肃的科学态度，严谨的治学精神，精益求精的工作作风，深深地感染和激励着我。从课题的选择到最终完成，郭老师都始终给予我细心的指导和不懈的支持，让我得以顺利地完成论文。其次，还要感谢任老师、李老师、蔡老师和实验室的学哥学姐们，以及共同合作实验的同学们，他们在本实验进行中，给予我许多指导和帮助，让我在实验中少走了许多弯路，让我的实验进行的更加顺利。在此本论文完成之际，感谢给予我指导和帮助的老师、师兄师姐及共同合作的同学们，祝你们工作顺利，学业有成！参考文献1刘树兴，陈明，刘丽等: 复合魔芋胶果冻的研制:食品科技，2002.(10):30-32。2 佘晓雷，张可，张伟来: 芦荟果冻加工工艺技术:粮油加工与食品科技，2003.(10):54。3刘虎成，刘勤晋，李洪军等:复配魔芋胶在果冻生产中的应用:食品工业科技，2000.(4)58-59。4 胡燕霞，肖阳，陈存社：芦荟果冻生产工艺研究：北京工商大学学报（自然科学版），2003（3）：14-16。5 马永强,刘青林: 无糖芦荟果冻生产工艺研究:应用科技，2000（1）29-30。6李波:魔芋果冻工艺研究:食品科学，1995.(5):16-17。7沈悦玉:魔芋胶的特性与魔芋胶食品:食品科学，1995.(6):18-19。8 柳青，刘恩岐：新型营养保健芦荟果冻的研制：食品科学，2007（02）86-87。9 胡文智，姜莉等：营养型番茄果冻的加工工艺研究：安徽农业科学，2008（7）2926-2927。10 崔福顺，周丽萍，陈艳秋：营养型黑木耳果冻的加工工艺：食品发酵工业，2005（3）145-146。11 温靖，张友胜，徐玉娟等：营养型甜橙透明果冻的加工工艺研究：食品科技，2007（9）135-138。12 赖红艳，罗祖友，程超等：魔芋藤茶营养果冻的研制：食品科技，2008（7）105-108。13 邓新华：中国芦荟的多糖研究.芦荟产业，1999.3（11）：26。14 沙世炎：中草药有效成分分析法M，北京：人民卫生出版社，1982。15陈丹：斑纹芦荟与库拉索芦荟原胶中多糖含量研究J.中国中药杂志，1996（12）：12-15。16郭素华：芦荟原胶中芦荟甙的含量测定，福建中医学院学报，1996（12）：23-25。17吴谋成：食品分析与感官评定M.北京:中国农业出版社,2002:55-56。Processing technology of the jelly made of Konjac gum and aloe Author: Duan liang liang Instructor: Guoli (College of tea and food science and technology ,Anhui Agricultural University Hefei in Anhui, 230036)Abstract:In order to determine the ingredients of the konjac gum and many other single gum viscosity, we explored gel properties on the basis of two gums, three and four gums composite gum of the gel after the performance to determine the adhesive formulation through testing. The experimental results show that xanthan gum and konjac gum carrageenan on the strong synergies; konjac gum and carrageenan the greatest impact on product performance. In addition, the best ratio of glue to konjac gum to Xanthan Gum to carrageenan to agar is 4:2:2:1 by the orthogonal test. Finally,the aloe jelly was as the main raw materials, production process, analysis of the adhesive, the amount of citric acid and sugar products on the effects of aloe jelly, to determine the best adhesive, citric acid, the proportion of sugar and the use of sensory evaluation methods to determine a reasonable aloe jelly recipe and processing parameters and further develop products of aloe juice jelly.Key words: Konjac gum; Aloe; jelly; technology.您好，为你提供优秀的毕业论文参考资料，请您删除以下内容，O(_)O谢谢！A large group of tea merchants on camels and horses from Northwest Chinas Shaanxi province pass through a stop on the ancient Silk Road, Gansus Zhangye city during their journey to Kazakhstan, May 5, 2015. The caravan, consisting of more than 100 camels, three horse-drawn carriages and four support vehicles, started the trip from Jingyang county in Shaanxi on Sept 19, 2014. It will pass through Gansu province and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and finally arrive in Almaty, formerly known as Alma-Ata, the largest city in Kazakhstan, and Dungan in Zhambyl province. The trip will cover about 15,000 kilometers and take the caravan more than one year to complete. The caravan is expected to return to Jingyang in March 2016. Then they will come back, carrying specialty products from Kazakhstan A small art troupe founded six decades ago has grown into a household name in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. In the 1950s, Ulan Muqir Art Troupe was created by nine young musicians, who toured remote villages on horses and performed traditional Mongolian music and dances for nomadic families. The 54-year-old was born in Tongliao, in eastern Inner Mongolia and joined the troupe in 1975.He says there are 74 branch troupes across Inner Mongolia and actors give around 100 shows every year to local nomadic people. I can still recall the days when I toured with the troupe in the early 80s. We sat on the back of pickup trucks for hours. The sky was blue, and we couldnt help but sing the folk songs, Nasun says. The vastness of Inner Mongolia and the lack of entertainment options for people living there, made their lives lonely. The nomadic people were very excited about our visits, Nasun recalls. We didnt have a formal stage. The audience just sat on the grass. Usually, the performances became a big party with local people joining in. For him, the rewarding part about touring isnt just about sharing art with nomadic families but also about gaining inspiration for the music and dance. Ulan Muqir literally translates as red burgeon, and todays performers of the troupe still tour the regions villages and entertain nomadic families, but their fame has spread around the world. On May 16 and 17, nearly 100 singers and dancers from the troupe performed at Beijings Poly Theater. Their show, titled Ulan Muqir on the Grassland, depicted the history and development of the art troupe. Being from the region allowed me to embrace the culture of Inner Mongolia and being a member of the troupe showed me where I belonged, Nasun, the art troupes president, who is also a renowned tenor, tells China Daily. During a tour in 1985, he went to a village and met an elderly local man, who told him a story about his friendship with a solider from Shenyang, capital of Northeast Chinas Liaoning province, decades ago. The solider gave the old man a handmade saddle when they bid farewell. The story inspired Nasun to write Carved Saddle, a song that later became one of his most popular numbers. Now, every year, Nasun recruits young singers and dancers for the troupe. The troupe has also designed a new repertoire, which is mostly based on the daily lives of Mongolian people, especially the lives of nomadic families, and has combined contemporary musical elements with folk songs of the region. Haimu, a 25-year-old khoomei (a local variant of overtone singing) singer, joined the troupe three years ago. Along with a six-member band, he performs fast songs and soft ones that he writesall while playing the horse-head fiddle.Although I learned the piano since childhood and grew up listening to various kinds of music, to me, the folk music of Inner Mongolia is the root, he says. Performing in remote villages is pleasant. I feel at home on the boundless grasslands, and the warm people there make me feel fulfilled. The first round of spring auction season in Beijing ended last week, but it failed to create much spring in the art market. Although two pieces of Chinese painting fetched more than 100 million yuan, the decline in trading volume and sale rate showed a downturn this year. In the “Grand View: Chinese Painting Highlight” session at China Guardian 2015 spring auctions, Pan Tianshous representative work Eagle, Rock and Flora hit a record auction price of 279 million yuan, while Li Kerans masterwork Jinggang Mountain fetched 126.5 million yuan, an unexpected high in recent years. However, the trading volume fells to 1.87 billion yuan from 2.22 billion yuan in the same period the year before. The Huangchen 2015 Spring Auctions, which recorded 42.5 million yuan in total sales, experienced the same. The section number went down to 5 from 12 compared to last year. According to expert Shao Jianwu, the art market did not attract much excitement this year due to the booming stock market and the persistent problems of forgery and fake deals. The two pieces of Chinese painting notched up high price this spring due to their own value not due to a revival in the market. The successful transaction of two works with a hammer price of more than 100 million yuan once again confirms that valuable and rare works of high quality always earn the long-lasting high price. Chinese painting and calligraphy is still the pillar of the market. However, the overall sales rate has dropped slightly, which reflects the demand for the ordinary auction goods has weakened,” said the president of China Guardians Hu Yanyan. Besides, the entry of new buyers also makes certain changes to the direction of purchasing. In a word, the overall market trend is very unpredictable. Although China Guardian 2015 Spring Auctions has achieved remarkable results, it does not mean that the market has walked out of the predicament. We still have to wait for the big economic boom to invigorate the art market.” Even so, the hot pursuit of some special items appeared this spring. A special session of China Guardian Spring Auctions titled “Fine GiltBronze Buddhist Images” achieved a great deal with total sales volume of 41.89 million yuan and 92 percent sale rate. The 5th Shamar Rinpoche Statue from 16-17th century of Tibet was sold for 5.06 million yuan. The Beijing Chengxuan Auctions featured almost 2,800 items of coins and stamps in three sessions with good sale rate. The Huachen Auctions also set a special session of photographs under the condition of large-scale decline of auction sessions. There was a palpable dull thud of disappointment that accompanied the return of the imperial entourage of Zhen Huan to her homeland. It followed a couple years of hushed excitement as Chinese fans were fed tidbits about their proud concubine who was supposed to conquer the high ground of the North American market. Zhen Huan is, of course, the title character of The Legend of Zhen Huan, a 2011 television series that swept China off its feet and later took other Asian countries by storm. Two years ago, it was reported that HBO, a premium cable service headquartered in the United States, was going to air it in North America after some modification. Now, a condensed version that provides English subtitles but no dubbing has finally been made available on Netflix for online streaming. This version, highly anticipated as a milestone in Chinas cultural foray overseas, has been widely panned by its home audience. Retitled Empresses in the Palace, the American version has been shortened from its original 76 episodes at 45 minutes each, to six 90-minute episodes. The quick pacing threw off many native viewers, who are accustomed to a more leisurely daytime-soap-style narrative rhythm. (Chinese TV stations would run two or three episodes every day.) I did not finish the full-length version and found the truncated one not difficult to follow. Whats lost, I believe, are the interesting setups and pauses that illuminate the Chinese art of storytelling. Much of the plot is still there. It is the flavor that was sacrificed. The American edition uses the framework of the Empress Dowager in her senior years reminiscing at the beginning and the end of each episode, hinting at whats to come and recapping the key points. This device, not used in the original, is culturally understandable but artistically mediocre. What puzzles me is the two new songs for the opening and end credits. They were written in English, but sung by Chinese with an uncomfortable accent. They were obviously designed to appeal to an English-speaking base, but do not jibe with the Chinese dialogue. Speaking of the dialogue, the English translation, picked apart by some Chinese, is too literal for my taste. I can imagine a typical American hit by a flurry of royal ranks, addresses and greetings, even multiple names and titles for the same person. The first half hour must be a swamp to wade through, very much like my experience of getting