Freeze-Dried Fruit: What Are Its Benefits and How to Use Freeze-Dried Fruit?

There’s nothing higher than choosing fruit from a bush or tree and might eat it instantly. Because of its sweetness and pure aroma, a sense of bliss instantly spreads by your physique. Okay, however what do you do whenever you get a longing for freshly picked strawberries or raspberries, however they’re not in season? In fact, you should buy imported fruit from the grocery store, however we are able to all agree that it’s not practically as satisfying. It’s simply not the identical. Fortuitously, now we have an answer, it’s known as freeze-dried (lyophilized) fruit. In at this time’s article, we’ll take a better have a look at it.

What’s freeze-dried fruit?

Lyophilized fruit is identical as freeze-dried. This course of is at present thought-about some of the mild, because it helps fruit and different dried meals retain their genuine style, flavour and nutrient content material.

What’s freeze-drying and the way does it work with meals?

Freeze-drying is a course of that removes water from meals to present it a dried kind, thus additionally preserving it. There are a number of sorts, vacuum lyophilisation is taken into account probably the most mild. It preserves many of the helpful substances, style and texture.

How does freeze-drying (lyophilization) work?

• With freeze-drying, you first have to get the water from the fruit right into a stable state, which is ice.
• So, to begin with, the temperature is lowered in order that freezing happens.
• The stress is then decreased to permit the ice to show to steam and sublimate.
• Subsequent is secondary drying, when the temperature is modified and the final remnants of water are eliminated.
• The result’s crunchy dried fruit items that retain their scrumptious style and pure aroma. [1-2]

The entire course of takes a number of hours and is kind of vitality intensive, which is mirrored within the ultimate value of the freeze-dried fruit. [7]

Will the fruit lose all its vitamins by freeze-drying?

Research present that freeze-drying is as mild as potential. In comparison with sizzling air drying, it retains extra vitamins. Researchers have even tried to seek out out what the distinction in micronutrient content material is between freeze-dried and sizzling air-dried fruit. Particularly, they centered on sea buckthorn fruit. The outcomes confirmed that the fruit retained 93% extra carotenoids, 34% extra vitamin C and 11% extra phenolic substances (equivalent to antioxidants) when freeze-dried in contrast with air-drying. Whereas there’s some lack of nutritional vitamins by lyophilization, this isn’t uncommon or unnatural. Equally, fruit that’s saved for longer durations of time loses its micronutrients. There’s due to this fact no must be involved concerning the proportion of those substances. [1]

Nonetheless, nutritional vitamins aren’t the one helpful substances in fruits, we should not overlook about phenolic compounds, that are some of the essential bioactive substances. And right here now we have excellent news for you. Research have proven that their proportion may even be elevated by freeze-drying. And it’s not simply fruit. For instance, in espresso, the proportion of helpful phenolic acids elevated by 41% after freeze-drying in comparison with recent inexperienced espresso beans. [1]

If you wish to study extra about meals storage, you shouldn’t miss our article Easy methods to Retailer Meals Correctly to Final as Lengthy as Potential.

Which meals might be freeze-dried?

Nonetheless, lyophilization is much from simply being about fruit. You’ll be able to freeze-dry the next meals:

• greens
• cheese
• meat
• cereals
• some entire meals
• spices
• tea
• espresso [1]

As well as, organic materials, cosmetics, prescription drugs and a few chemical substances will also be freeze-dried. It’s due to this fact a course of that’s used not solely within the meals business.

You could be curious about these merchandise:

Are you able to dry-freeze fruit at residence?

In brief, sure you may. The best is to make use of a freeze-dryer that may work with temperature and stress to realize the absolute best consequence. Nonetheless, it’s fairly costly and never a typical family merchandise. In case you don’t have one at residence, you’ll must make do with frozen fruit or fruit dried in a sizzling air dryer or oven. Nonetheless, as we mentioned above, this course of loses extra of the helpful substances within the fruit.

If you’re questioning concerning the high quality of frozen and canned fruit, you shouldn’t miss our article Is Contemporary Fruit and Greens More healthy than Frozen or Canned? 

Easy methods to retailer freeze-dried fruit?

Freeze-dried fruit shouldn’t be uncovered to direct daylight. Subsequently, it’s ideally suited to maintain it within the pantry to keep away from any change in color, texture or different properties. Equally, the items ought to be stored dry in order that they don’t take in moisture. Subsequently, retailer them within the pantry in a resealable container or field. [3]

What are the dietary values of freeze-dried fruit?

As a way to get a greater concept of the dietary content material, let’s use strawberries for instance. [4]

As you may see, the vitality worth of freeze-dried and recent fruit differs fairly considerably. Nonetheless, this isn’t as a result of a bunch of different elements have been added to freeze-dried merchandise to extend the vitality worth. The reason is far less complicated. Contemporary fruit comprises a excessive proportion of water, extra particularly round 90%. Nonetheless, should you deprive fruit of its water, which has no energy, by freeze-drying it, it turns into a way more concentrated supply of vitamins. [5]

It’s in all probability apparent to you that you just shouldn’t eat the identical quantity of freeze-dried and recent fruit. Freeze-dried fruit ought to be dealt with with a bit of extra care and never eaten by the handful like recent fruit. Nonetheless, should you put freeze-dried fruit in water, yoghurt or different liquids, it will increase its quantity and is way more filling. Nevertheless it loses its crunch. Subsequently, you need to think about what texture you need at that second.

Questioning what number of energy every fruit has? Then you shouldn’t miss our article Fruit: How Many Energy and What Nutritional vitamins and Minerals Does It Include?

5 advantages of lyophilized fruit

The advantages of fruit lie not solely in its nutrient content material, as due to the way in which it’s processed it boasts different advantages.

1. Smells and tastes similar to recent fruit

While you open a packet of freeze-dried fruit, chances are you’ll be shocked to seek out that its style and aroma rivals that of recent fruit. Even when a dried piece of strawberry is as gentle as paper and also you suppose that it has just about no style, the alternative is true. As quickly as you set it in porridge, yoghurt or in your mouth, the fruit absorbs the required moisture and begins to resemble recent fruit much more.

2. You’ll be able to take it on the go

The fruit loses a few of its properties because of the truth that it’s disadvantaged of water. Who has ever put a bit of recent fruit in a backpack and whenever you took it out, it was an ugly mass and the backpack was ripe for a great washing? That’s precisely what you don’t get with freeze-dried fruit. Even when items of freeze-dried fruit spill into your backpack, no drawback, simply shake them out and also you’re accomplished.

In brief, freeze-dried fruit is a sensible meals that you may take wherever as a snack. It’s ideally suited for work, faculty or journeys, when you may definitely use it as a fast supply of vitality. And look out, it could actually even be taken into house. It loses as much as 90% of its water throughout processing, so it’s as compact as potential. That’s why freeze-dried fruit can also be known as fruit for astronauts. So, if you wish to go on an area flight, remember to take a packet of lyophilized fruit with you.

In case you’re questioning create a balanced snack, you shouldn’t miss our article What Ought to a Balanced Snack Include and Easy methods to Substitute Excessive-Calorie Snacks in a Wholesome Method?

And you may learn extra about suggestions for snacks that will provide you with vitality throughout sports activities exercise in our article What to Eat and Drink to Get Sufficient Vitality Whereas Climbing or Biking?

3. It’s good for ganishing desserts

You don’t like the colorful items filled with synthetic colors and added sugar which are used to brighten cupcakes or Christmas sweet? Then you will need to strive substituting them with freeze-dried fruit. This not solely seems nice on desserts, porridges and different dishes, but in addition tastes higher. It provides sweetness or sourness to your meals, relying on which fruit you employ. And let’s not overlook the odor. You gained’t consider that the dessert doesn’t actually include recent fruit.

4. Has an extended shelf life

One other benefit over recent fruit is the shelf life of freeze-dried fruit. In case you carry very ripe fruit from the shop or decide recent from the backyard, it might properly begin to rot or turn out to be mouldy the following day. There’s completely no threat of this taking place with freeze-dried fruit when saved correctly. It will possibly stay good for a number of months when saved within the pantry. Some producers even declare that freeze-dried fruit lasts 25–30 years. Nonetheless, we can not affirm this. Given its nice style, no pack will final very lengthy in your pantry. [6]

How are you going to use freeze-dried fruit?

You don’t have to only sprinkle freeze-dried fruit on porridge or eat it by itself, that may be a bit boring, wouldn’t it? It’s good for smoothies, drinks, making selfmade ice cream, baking and different goodies. To make issues simpler for you, we’ve picked out some scrumptious recipes you may strive with lyophilized fruit. Are you already drooling?

What do you have to bear in mind?

Fruit ought to be a day by day a part of your weight loss program. And should you don’t develop raspberries and strawberries within the winter, freeze-dried fruit is the finest strategy to get that genuine style and odor of freshly picked fruit. Within the kitchen, freeze-dried fruit has simply as many makes use of as recent fruit. In some recipes, equivalent to crispy biscuits, it’s even higher suited. And should you retailer it correctly, there’s no threat of it going dangerous or spoiling rapidly.

Have you learnt anybody who avoids dried fruit as a result of they don’t suppose it’s wholesome? Share our article to assist them uncover the arduous fact.

Sources:

[1] Sagar Bhatta et al. – Freeze-Drying of Plant-Primarily based Meals – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7022747/

[2] Dorota Nowak et al. – The Freeze-Drying of Meals—The Attribute of the Course of Course and the Impact of Its Parameters on the Bodily Properties of Meals Supplies – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7603155/

[3] What Is Freeze Dried Fruit? – https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-freeze-dried-fruit-5193827

[4] Strawberries, uncooked – https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2346409/vitamins

[5] Sandulachi Elisavet et al. – Water exercise idea and its position in strawberries meals – https://ibn.idsi.md/vizualizare_articol/22770

[6] All About Freeze Dried Fruits Shelf LIfe – https://ratinkhosh.com/freeze-dried-fruits-shelf-life/

[7] Ovoce sušené mrazem namočte. Během chvíle je jako čerstvé a plné vitamínů – https://www.vimcojim.cz/magazin/clanky/o-vyzive/Ovoce-susene-mrazem-namocte.-Behem-chvile-je-jako-cerstve-a-plne-vitaminu__s10010x19583.html