The Health Effects of Dried Fruit: A Summary of Benefits, Nutrition, and Cautions on Sugar

Dried fruit, sometimes pictured as a healthy snack, is made by drying fresh fruit to improve its shelf life, so it can be eaten anytime and makes it easy to top up on nutrition. Dried fruit has been enjoyed around the world since ancient times, and has also been valued as emergency and portable food. Today, a wide variety of fruits are processed into dried fruit—raisins, dried apricots, driedmango, dried apples, and more—and premium products that pay attention to drying methods and the like are also sold.

This time, we will touch on an overview of dried fruit as well as its benefits and nutrition. We also handle OEM production, so please let us know if you have any requests.

How dried fruit is made

There are broadly three ways to make dried fruit—sun-drying, machine-drying, and freeze-drying—each producing different flavor and texture. It varies by the producing region or country, but in Japan machine-dried and freeze-dried products are widely distributed.

Sun-drying

Sun-drying, the traditional method, uses the power of nature to dry the fruit. It is therefore suited to warm, dry regions. Also, unlike other methods, sun-drying makes it difficult to dry completely, so a characteristic half-dried texture results. However, because it does not dry completely, there can be risks such as mold depending on storage conditions, so care is needed.

Machine hot-air drying

Compared with sun-drying, it dries in a shorter time and can dry evenly, making it a drying method where quality is easy to guarantee. The texture and other qualities can also be adjusted depending on the drying temperature. On the other hand, drying at high temperatures has the drawbacks of scorching and a harder texture.

Freeze-dried

Freeze-drying, which freezes the moisture and dries it in a vacuum, can retain nearly all of the nutritional value and color and broadens uses such as turning the fruit into powder. On the other hand, you cannot enjoy the texture unique to dried fruit, and because the production cost per batch is high, it is suited to use as an industrial product.

The difference between hot-air drying and freeze-drying

The nutritional value and health benefits you care about

Because they contain less moisture than fresh fruit, dietary fiber is concentrated, just as with dried vegetables. Some items are rich in dietary fiber and are said to help improve the gut environment and support bowel movements. For example, raisins, which are rich in iron and well suited for taking in iron, and apricots, which contain beta-carotene, are hard to eat much of as fresh fruit, but as dried fruit they are easy to buy and can be eaten anytime.

It is generally said that nutrients become concentrated when dried, but depending on the drying method and temperature, vitamins may be lost. For this reason, it cannot be said unconditionally that drying increases all nutrients. Also, dried fruit has a high-nutrition, healthy image, butyou need to watch the sugar.

The sugar and health risks of dried fruit

While dried fruit is high in nutritional value, the fruit itself is also high in sugar, so care is needed not to eat too much. Because drying removes moisture, the fruit's sugar becomes concentrated and calories run high even in small amounts, so controlling your intake is important. In particular, many commercial products have added sugar or syrup, which should be avoided from a health-conscious standpoint.

For example, some dried mango products are candied during processing to emphasize sweetness. While these become thick and meaty in texture, their sugar content increases substantially, so care is needed when dieting or restricting carbohydrates. The glucose contained in dried vegetables likewise requires care.

About the glucose in dried vegetables

Are sugar-free ones tasty?

If you are watching your sugar intake, choosing sugar-free dried fruit is the common option. In that case, check the ingredient list and choose products that clearly state "fruit only" or "no added sugar." That said, you may sometimes find that the dried fruit you bought is not as tasty as you expected.

Possible causes are the quality of the fruit used and the drying method. For example, fruit that was not very sweet to begin with, or apples of a variety with strong acidity, can end up tasting different from what you imagined once dried. Also, if drying is too intense, the flavor can be lost, and for some items the aroma becomes stronger with drying, which can make them hard to eat.

For this reason, to choose tasty dried fruit, it is a good idea to check the variety of fruit used and reviews of the products the manufacturer sells. Also, because texture differs with the degree of drying—moist or crisp—it is important to look for products that suit your own preference.

The appeal of domestically grown dried fruit

Benefits of use in the confectionery and food-service industries

Because dried fruit has a naturally derived sweetness, it can be used in confectionery, sweets, cereal bars, and the like as a substitute for sugar and artificial sweeteners. Using sugar-free dried fruit appeals to health-conscious consumers and lets you emphasize naturalness, which is a strong point. It is also used as a topping for dishes and desserts to add color and texture.

For example, using dried cranberries in baked goods makes the tartness an accent and creates a flavor balanced between sweetness and acidity. Dried figs and dried prunes are also popular as ingredients for healthy snacks and desserts, making use of their natural sweetness.

In today's world, where natural products are favored, demand for dried fruit is increasing in health-related areas such as organic foods, as well as in areas such as pet products.

For dried-fruit OEM production and commercial raw materials, choose Agriture

Dried fruit is an excellent food that lets you take in nutrition easily, but you need to watch the high sugar content. Choosing sugar-free products can support a healthy diet. Furthermore, in the confectionery and food-service industries, using dried fruit that makes the most of natural sweetness can be a means of creating new value. Going forward, the use of dried fruit is expected to expand along with growing health consciousness.

At Agriture, we handle several kinds of domestically grown dried fruit according to the season, and by leveraging our network of producers nationwide, we can manufacture to meet diverse needs. For pet-related companies, we have developed products such as assortment packs of dried apple andwatermelonas dog treats, and we can accommodate customization according to the intended use. With product-making that draws on high-quality domestic ingredients, we can provide lineups for any market.

Small-lot OEM production is here

Wholesale of dried farm produce is here