Organic dried fruits vs candied fruits
The organic dried fruits are characterized for being fruits to which all the water has been extracted; however they continue to maintain all their nutrients and properties although it seems that the portions are smaller and sweeter but this is due to the process of dehydration.
Sometimes people consider that all dried fruits contain higher amounts of sugar and that they are not a snack or healthy food. Although if there are such fruits that contain added sugar, not all dried fruits contain it.
When organic dried fruits contain added sugar they stop being organic products because they are not natural and suffered changes that affect their initial composition so they can no longer be called this way. Many people like candied fruits and we usually find them in cakes and cupcakes; these types of fruits have a special processing and have a high caloric value.
The process for making dried fruits and candied fruits has been used thousands of years ago, with the Arabs being the predecessors in the elaboration of candied fruit and spreading it to the whole world. The process for making candied fruits lasts several days; not all fruits can be of this style and the most common are cherries, pineapples, ginger, figs, peach, apricot, pear, apples, and citrus fruits such as orange.
In order to make fruits with added sugar, the fruits must be washed and peeled, the seeds removed and the fruit rinsed again and then chopped into pieces. The pulp needs to be cut out and should be placed in a container to make the brine which contains salt, calcium chloride, sodium bisulfite and drinking water; fruit should be macerated for two whole days and the objective is to improve the consistency of the fruit so that the sugar can penetrate better.
At the end of 48 hours, the fruit is removed and they are washed again to remove the salt, they are cleaned until they no longer have a salty taste. Afterwards, they are boiled for a few minutes and cooled with cold water to prevent them from changing their shape. And this is where the process to add more sugar begins.
The process begins by submerging the fruit in syrup, so the fruit will be saturated with sugar and prevents the growth of microbes that provoke the fruit to rot and can be maintained for several years without the need for refrigeration; sometimes this process can last several days.
This process can be made with whole fruits, by pieces, you can even confit orange or lemon peels. The first thing you do is dip the fruit in sugar syrups, wait until it is boiling and add the fruits and boil for a few minutes in this syrup, then remove them and let them rest for at least twelve hours. You can repeat the process several times depending on the size and appearance you want to obtain.
Candied fruits are very different from organic dried fruits; however people are confused about these two products constantly for this reason in this post we want to share the two processes so you can distinguish them and eliminate the myths created in relation to dried fruits.
The process of dehydrated fruits is very different; organic dried fruits are 100% natural and the process begins with taking care of the products, we select them from the best Mexican fields. The drying process is natural since it is placed in ovens; during the drying process, if you do not take enough care you can lose the nourishment of fruits. For this reason, we care about each step of the production of our fruits. Since their cultivation verifying that farmers comply with established quality standards, as well as organic fruit. Later, during the drying process, the temperature is managed to take care of the nutrients and vitamins of the fruits, having a pleasant texture and taste.
However, this drying process is not new. It is known that for centuries people used to dry the fruits in the sun to be preserved for a longer period of time to lose size but no properties. The only thing that has changed is the technology that allows a more hygienic fruit drying and controlling the temperature to be the ideal drying for each type of fruit. The reason they taste sweet is because by removing water, nutrients and fructose is reduced along with the fruit, increasing the levels of nutrients and fructose in each portion; that´s why eating dehydrated fruit is associated with low weight due to the great contribution of nutrients they have but it is important to mention that dehydrated fruit has more calories than fresh ones because of its size reduction, and sometimes people may eat more by the idea that it is less.
Nowadays, these fruits last about a year, without needing to be in the refrigerator or frozen because by eliminating the water prevents organisms from growing that are causing it to rot. Dried fruits are very healthy snacks that are ideal for their energetic content as well as satiating hunger, as they do not contain additives they are very healthy and provide a lot of nutrients.
The main difference is that candied fruits are submerged in sugar to prevent microorganisms from growing and can last longer; while dried fruit are dehydrated, so the water is removed to prevent the growth of these same microorganisms making them a healthy option without added sugar.
For more information about our products, please contact us at (55) 2166 9191 – (55) 2166 9492 – 01 728 2820230 or send us an email to info@instantia.com. We will be very happy to help you.
