Dried fruits and their added value

Dried fruit has after the gentle drying processes (Freezing-, Air- & Vacuum drying), dried fruit still contains many healthy nutrients. This makes them a healthy snack for in between meals or the perfect addition to your morning cereal.

Fiber, Minerals & Co.

Dried fruits contain many minerals such as potassium and phosphorus. But also a lot of secondary plant compounds and valuable fiber. The latter are primarily responsible for filling you up. On top of that, dried fruit is full of antioxidants.

You should only pay attention to the high sugar content, which is so strongly compressed by the drying process. It is the reason why the fruits are considered potential calorie bombs.

In our article “Can you lose weight by means of dried fruit?”, we go into more detail about the ingredients of dried fruit.

Water & vitamins in dried fruits

Through the drying process, the fresh fruits lose mainly water. The loss of moisture is the basis for the long shelf life of the dried fruits. This process also makes the little treats so crunchy and intense in taste.

In addition, the high water loss means that not only the fructose but also the remaining nutrients such as the many healthy vitamins are highly concentrated. This is because, contrary to what was thought, some vitamins survive the drying process.

The production of dried fruit

Which drying process is chosen has a strong influence on the health value of the dried fruit. This is because the gentler the process, the more valuable minerals, nutrients and fiber the fruit contains.

Drying by heat supply

The so-called Air drying is the process that removes the most nutrients from dried fruit. This is because the moisture is removed from the fresh fruit by means of hot air.

This heat destroys many of the healthy ingredients in the fruit. In addition, other additives such as sulfur dioxide or oils are often added during this process. The addition of sugar is also not uncommon here.

In this way, the healthy fruit actually turns into an unhealthy calorie bomb, which hardly differs from conventional sweets. Thereby healthy dried fruit can also be produced by means of air drying – as our BIO coconut chips. They are gently air-dried completely without additives.

Drying by vacuum

In the Vacuum drying the freshly harvested fruit is subjected to a vacuum that reduces the boiling point of the water it contains. This means that the water evaporates at very low temperatures.

The dried fruits are thus gently dried and lose less healthy nutrients and minerals. In addition, color and shape remain almost completely contained. Our BIO apple chips are gently dried in this way.

Drying by shock freezing

The rest of our YallaYum-fruits are exclusively freeze-driedwhich is the most gentle among the drying processes. Because after harvesting the fruit is immediately frozen, which stops the degeneration process of nutrients.

Afterwards, the moisture is removed from them by means of a vacuum. Thus, the cell structures and with them all the flavors, minerals and important vitamins remain contained.

In addition, neither sulfur nor oils are used in this type of drying, which is why freeze-dried YallaYum dried fruits are basically without additives.

Drying by microwave vacuum

In microwave vacuum drying, the water in the fruit is dissolved out by high-energy microwaves. This preserves both the structure and color of the fruit.

According to studies by scientists from the Universities of Dresden and Jena, the healthy ingredients are also retained. It was found that 50 grams of dried strawberries contain as many vitamins as 600 grams of frozen strawberries.

Do dried fruits still have vitamins?

As you can see from the different drying methods, the vitamin content of dried fruit can vary greatly. Therefore, if you value a high vitamin content, you should pay attention to the production method used when buying your dried fruit.

If you prefer freeze-dried fruit, you can ensure that your healthy snack is just as rich a source of vitamins as fresh fruit. Freeze-dried fruit in particular still contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and C.

Do freeze-dried fruits have more vitamins than other dried fruits?

Dried fruits are therefore particularly rich in vitamins. However, only because the drying process compresses any nutrients. Dried fruit is therefore the high sugar content not only a small calorie, but also a vitamin bomb.

In relation, however, dried fruit does not have a higher vitamin content than fresh fruit. The following table gives you an overview of how the vitamin C content varies between 100 grams of fresh and dried fruit:

	Vitamin C- Salary per 100 g fresh Fruit	Vitamin C- Salary per 100 g dried Fruit
apple	12 mg	38 mg
Apricot	9 mg	1 mg
banana	11 mg	28 mg
Date		0.4 mg
Plum	9.5 mg	0.6 mg
Wine- grape/ Raisin	4 mg	2.3 mg

Which dried fruits have the most vitamins?

Dried apples and bananas in particular have a very high vitamin C content compared to other dried fruit varieties. But grapefruits and oranges also have a high vitamin C content in the dried state.

For example, 100 grams of our BIO apple chips contain 38 milligrams of vitamin C. This makes them one of the healthiest dried fruits.

If you now take into account the fact that our apples are vacuum-dried, what remains for the freeze-dried fruits such as ours Fig or the Sour cherries there is still a little room for improvement in terms of vitamin content.

If you want to know what other positive properties vitamin C has besides maintaining a healthy immune function, check out our article: Can you lose weight with dried fruit?

Attention with sulfurized dried fruits

We would like to give you a little tip regarding sulfurized dried fruit: One of the main disadvantages of sulfurization is the destruction of the valuable B vitamins (especially B1 and folic acid).

In one of our latest articles, you can read about the other disadvantages of sulfurizing dried fruit and the sulfur dioxide it contains.

How much vitamins have dried fruit – our YallaYum conclusion

Despite all the myths and stories, dried fruits are still full of valuable nutrients. They are the perfect snack for in between – for you and your whole family.

However, it’s better to always enjoy your healthy snack in moderation and pay attention to the sugar content. A balanced diet between dried and fresh fruits is the keyword here.

Otherwise you can use our pure YallaYum fruits or also our fruit mixtures taste! A handful of the small crunchy vitamin bombs can support you and your body in everyday life.

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How many vitamins do dried fruits have at all?

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