| Dried fruit | |
|---|---|
 Dried fruit and nuts on a platter | |
| Origin | Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, India |
| Use | Preservation of fruit for use as food |
| Production | Earliest: dates and raisins |
Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed prior to cooking or being eaten on its own.[1]Drying may occur either naturally, by sun, through the use of industrialdehydrators, or byfreeze drying.[2] Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating to the fourthmillennium BC inMesopotamia, and is valued for its sweet taste, nutritional content, and longshelf life.[1]
In the 21st century,dried fruit consumption is widespread worldwide. Nearly half of dried fruits sold areraisins, followed bydates,prunes,figs,apricots,peaches, apples, andpears.[1][3] These are referred to as "conventional" or "traditional" dried fruits: fruits that have been dried in the sun or in commercial dryers. Many fruits, such ascranberries,blueberries,cherries,strawberries, andmango are infused with a sweetener (e.g.,sucrose syrup) prior to drying. Some products sold asdried fruit, likepapaya,kiwifruit andpineapple, are most oftencandied fruit.
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Traditional dried fruits such as raisins, figs,dates, apricots, and apples have been a staple ofMediterranean diets for millennia. This is due partly to their early cultivation in the Middle Eastern region known as theFertile Crescent, made up of parts of modernIran,Iraq, southwestTurkey,Syria,Lebanon,Palestine, and northernEgypt. Drying ordehydration was the earliest form offood preservation: figs, dates or grapes which fell from the plant and were sun-dried may have been consumed by earlyhunter-gatherers as edible and more long-lasting and sweeter.[4][5][6]
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The earliest recorded mention of dried fruits can be found inMesopotamian tablets dating to about 1500 BC. These clay slabs, written inAkkadian, the daily language ofBabylonia, were inscribed incuneiform; these were about diets based on grains, vegetables, and fruits such as dates, figs, apples,pomegranates and grapes.[citation needed] These early civilizations used dates, date juice evaporated into syrup and raisins as sweeteners, and included dried fruits in their breads.[citation needed]
Thedate palm was one of the first cultivated trees. It was domesticated inMesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago and grew abundantly in the Fertile Crescent. Dates were the cheapest of staple foods due to high productivity, as an average date palm produced 50 kilograms (110 lb) of fruit a year for more than 60 years.[citation needed]
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Figs were also prized in early Mesopotamia,Palestine, Israel, and Egypt.[citation needed] In addition to appearing in wall paintings, many fig specimens were found in Egyptian tombs as funerary offerings.[citation needed]
Grape cultivation began inArmenia and the eastern regions of the Mediterranean in the 4th millennium BC.[citation needed] Raisins were produced by sun-drying grapes. Raisin production andviticulture spread across northern Africa, includingMorocco andTunisia.
Dried fruits spread through Greece to Italy where they became a major part of diets.[citation needed]Ancient Romans consumed raisins in large quantities and at all levels of society, including them as a key part of their common meals, along with olives and fresh fruits.
Having dried fruits was essential inancient Rome as these instructions for housekeepers around 100 BC tell: "She must keep a supply of cooked food on hand for you and the servants. She must keep many hens and have plenty of eggs. She must have a large store of dried pears, sorbs, figs, raisins, sorbs in must, preserved pears, grapes, andquinces. She must also keep preserved grapes in grape pulp and in pots buried in the ground, as well as fresh Praenestine nuts kept in the same way, and Scantian quinces in jars, and other fruits that are usually preserved, as well as wild fruits. All these she must store away diligently every year."[7]
Dried figs were added to bread and formed a major part of the winter food of common people. They were rubbed with spices such ascumin,anise,fennel seeds or toastedsesame, wrapped in fig leaves and stored in jars.[citation needed]
Plums,apricots andpeaches have their origins in Asia.[8] They were domesticated in China in the 3 BC and spread to the Fertile Crescent where they were commonly eaten.[citation needed]
| Fruit | Tons |
|---|---|
| Apricots | 1,970 |
| Dates | 16,300 |
| Figs | 14,500 |
| Peaches | 1,365 |
| Pears (Williams or Bartlett) | 400 |
| Prunes | 81,000 |
| Raisins | 350,000 |
Dried fruit is produced in most regions of the world, and consumption occurs in all cultures and demographic segments. As of 2010[update], raisins accounted for about two-thirds of this volume.[10] California produces the largest percentage of the US's and the world's[citation needed] dried fruit crop. It accounts for over 99% of the US crop of raisins anddried plums, 98% ofdried figs, 96% of driedpeaches, 92% ofapricots and over 90% ofdates. Most of California dried fruit production is centered in the San Joaquin Valley where the soil and climate, especially the hot, dry summers, provide ideal growing conditions. While these fruits were commonly dried in the sun in the past, now only raisins are almost entirely naturally sun-dried.[11]
Fruits can be dried whole (e.g., grapes, berries, apricot, plum), in halves, or as slices (e.g., mango, papaya, kiwi). Alternatively, they can be chopped after drying (e.g., dates), made into pastes, or concentrated juices. The residual moisture content can vary from small (3–8%) to substantial (16–18%), depending on the type of fruit. Fruits can also be spread out, dried and cut into stripes in its puree form without the addition of sugar or fats with at least 50% moisture content asfruit leather, (see patent listed under the references section)[12][13] or as a powder by spray or drum drying. They can befreeze dried. Fresh fruit is frozen and placed in a drying chamber under a vacuum. Heat is applied, and water evaporates from the fruit while it is still frozen.[14] The fruit becomes very light and crispy and retains much of its original flavor. Dried fruit is widely used by the confectionery, baking, and sweets industries. Food manufacturing plants use dried fruits in various sauces, soups, marinades, garnishes, puddings, and food for infants and children.
As ingredients in prepared food, dried fruit juices, purées, and pastes impart sensory and functional characteristics to recipes:
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The high drying and processing temperatures, the intrinsic low pH of the fruit, and the low water activity (moisture content) in dried fruit make them a stable food.
Sulfur dioxide is used as anantioxidant in some dried fruits to protect their color and flavor. For example, in golden raisins, dried peaches, apples, and apricots, sulfur dioxide is used to keep them from losing their light color by blocking browning reactions that darken fruit and alter their flavor. Over the years, sulfur dioxide andsulfites have been used by many populations for a variety of purposes. Sulfur dioxide was first employed as a food additive in 1664, and was later approved for such use in the United States as far back as the 1800s.
Sulfur dioxide, while harmless to healthy individuals, can induceasthma when inhaled or ingested by sensitive people. The U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that one out of every hundred people is sulfite-sensitive, and about 5% of asthmatics are also at risk of suffering an adverse reaction. Given that about 10% of the population suffers from asthma, this figure translates to 0.5% of the whole population with potential for sulfite-sensitivity. These individuals make up the subgroup of greatest concern and are largely aware of the need to avoid sulfite-containing foods. Consequently, the FDA requires food manufacturers and processors to disclose the presence of sulfiting agents in concentrations of at least 10parts per million.[15]
InTaipei, Taiwan, a 2010 city health survey found one-third of tested dried fruit products failed health standard tests, most having excessive amounts ofsodium cyclamate, some at levels 20 times higher than the legal limit.[16]
Turkey exported 1.5 billion dollars' worth of dried fruit in 2021 and became the world's largest exporter of dried fruit.[17]
| Fruit | Glycemic index |
|---|---|
| Dates (brand or variety not specified) | 62 |
| Dried apples (brand not specified) | 29 |
| Dried apricots (brand not specified) | 30 |
| Dried peaches | 35 |
| Dried plums (Sun Sweet) | 29 |
| Figs (Dessert Maid) | 61 |
| Raisins (Sun-Maid) | 54 |
Traditional dried fruit has a low to moderateglycemic index (GI), a measure of how a food affects blood sugar levels. GI measures an individual's response to eating acarbohydrate-containing food (usually 50 grams of available carbohydrates) compared to the individual's response to the same amount of carbohydrates from either white bread or glucose. Carbohydrate-containing foods are classified as high (above 70), moderate (56–69), or low (0–55) GI.[19] Foods with high fiber content generally have a low GI. However, other factors also contribute to a food's glycemic response, such as the type of carbohydrate or sugar present, the physical characteristics of the food matrix, and the presence of organic acids. All studies assessing the GI of dried fruit show that they are low- to moderate-GI foods and that theinsulin response is proportional to their GI. Factors thought to contribute to this glycemic response include the viscous texture of dried fruits when chewed, their whole food matrix, the presence of phenolic compounds and organic acids and the type of sugar present (about 50% fructose in mosttraditional dried fruit).[20]
Consumption of dried fruit is under preliminary research for the potential to improve nutrition and affect chronic diseases.[21]
People have practiced food preservation since ancient times. Many folktales describe ways of preserving foods in one way or another according to local and cultural traditions. Dehydration methods help to prevent food from spoilage and to maintain it for a longer period of time while keeping it suitable for consumption. Reducing the amount of water in fruits helps prevent growth of bacteria, yeast or fungi. There are several processes that can be used in the production of dried fruit, each of which affects its appearance, rehydration properties, and nutrients differently. These drying processes includesun drying,tray (air) drying,freeze drying, andvacuum microwave drying.[22][23] Each process has advantages and disadvantages.
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This process uses sun exposure as its thermal source, combined with natural airflow. It is also a traditional drying method to reduce the moisture of fruits by spreading them under the sun. Warmer temperatures evaporate the moisture, and lower humidity allows moisture to move quickly from the fruit to the air. However, there are many disadvantages associated with it, such as the longer time required to dry, the hot climate and daylight, and risk of invasion by animals and unwanted microorganisms.
A tray dryer is similar to a convection drier, which is placed in enclosed, insulated chambers and trays on top of each other in the tray. Input materials are batch-fed, placed in trays, and loaded into ovens for drying. Dryers are used in processing where drying and heating are important parts of the industrial manufacturing process, like dried fruits. Tray drying means dehydrating small pieces of fruit from a source of hot, dry air or the sun until they are dry enough to store at ambient temperature with minimal spoilage. Despite its poor re-hydration properties and shrunken appearance, this process requires a short period of time along with controlled humidity and heated air.
Freeze drying is a special form of drying that removes all moisture and has less effect on the taste of food than normal dehydration.[23] Freeze drying is a water removal process commonly used to preserve raw plant foods. The food is placed in a vacuum chamber at low heat to increase shelf life. This process works by freezing the material, then reducing the pressure and adding heat to neutralize the frozen water in the material.[23] It may be spray-dried to produce a versatile powder foringredient applications.[23]
Unlike the other drying methods, this method allows a dried plant food to retain its shape, retain the highest color value, and provide a rehydration property. Foods that contain adequate amounts of water are easy to work with and maintain their initial shape after the freeze-drying process is complete.
The microwave generates a specific amount of energy, shortening the drying time.[24] In addition, the boiling point of water is lowered under vacuum, causing a high temperature inside the dried particles on the surface of the product.Microwave vacuum drying is a dehydration process that uses microwave radiation to generate heat at full pressure (chamber pressure). During vacuum drying, high-energy water molecules propagate to the surface and evaporate due to low pressure.[24]
Due to the absence of air, vacuum drying inhibits oxidation and maintains the color, texture, and taste of dried products. This device can improve the quality of products, and the equipment can prolong the shelf life of food, preserve the original taste and nutrients of food, maintain the physical activity of raw materials, enhance the function of healthy food, and increase the value of agricultural products. This method provides flavor retention, rehydration potential, and little color change compared to other thermal drying methods, along with a faster drying rate compared to freeze drying.[24]
Dried fruit are used on festive occasions by many cultures.
In the middle-east it is customary to serve trays with mixed kinds of dried fruit for theIftar meal that breaks the fast days during theRamadan.[25] They are sometimes soaked in water beforehand.[26][27]
On the Jewish holiday ofTu BiShvat, it is customary to eat dried fruit. This tradition originates from the practice of eating fruits from theLand of Israel/Palestine, particularly theSeven Species, such as grapes, dates, and figs. Before the 20th century, most Jews lived in Europe, where, without modern technology, obtaining these fruits fresh was impossible, so they were typically consumed in their dried form.[28][29][30]
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Media related toDried fruit at Wikimedia Commons
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