Dried fruit

Dried fruit

Raisins are a common dried fruit

Dried organic apricot. It is dark because it has not been treated with sulfur dioxide (E220).

Dried fruit is fruit that has been dried to remove some of the fruit's moisture, either naturally or through use of a machine, such as a food dehydrator. Raisins, prunes, and dates are examples of popular dried fruits. Other fruits such as apples, apricots, bananas, cherries, cranberries, figs, kiwi, mangoes, pawpaw, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapples, strawberries, and tomatoes may also be dried. In addition to dried whole fruits, fruit purée can be dried in sheets to make fruit leather. It is called leather because of the similarity in size and thickness.^[1]

Drying preserves fruit, even in the absence of refrigeration, and significantly lengthens its shelf life. When fresh fruit is unavailable, impractical, or out of season, dried fruit can provide an alternative. It is often added to baking mixes and breakfast cereals.

Like fresh fruit, dried fruit can be rich in vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B6, pantothenic acid) and dietary minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, copper, manganese).^[2]

Since dehydration may result in water loss up to seven parts out of eight, dried fruit has a stronger flavor than its fresh counterpart. The drying process also destroys most of the Vitamin C in the food.

Commercially prepared dried fruit may contain added sulfur dioxide which can trigger asthma in susceptible individuals^[3]; dried fruits without sulfur dioxide are also available. The sulfur is added to protect color and taste from oxidation. "Organic" dried fruit is produced without sulfur dioxide, which results in dark fruit and more oxidized flavor that can taste a bit like dried tea. The color of some fruits can also be "fixed" to some extent, with minimal impact on flavour, by treating the freshly cut fruit with a preparation rich in Vitamin C (e.g., a mixture of water and lemon juice) for a few minutes prior to drying.

In recent years there has been a tendency towards dried fruit that is sold as "ready to eat". This fruit has to be stored in sealed containers to preserve it. Notably prunes and apricots prepared in this way lack the chewy texture of other dried fruit.

Consumption

Dried fruit can be consumed as is – either on their own or mixed, as into breakfast cereal such as muesli – or can be rehydrated by steeping in water. For instance, wolfberries are traditionally brewed in tea, plumpening in the process.

See also

• Dried vine fruit - generic term for dried grapes that includes raisins, sultanas and currants
• List of seeds, nuts, and fruit for snack
• Tutti frutti - confection made of a combination of dried fruits, often added to ice cream
• Dried cherry

References

1. ^ National Center for Home Food Preservation - Drying Fruits and Vegetables, accessed 28 June 2009
2. ^ Dried fruit information
3. ^ Sulfites: An Important Food Safety Issue- August/September 2000, posted online by the US .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dried fruit

• I.N.C. - International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation