Contents
Methods of bleaching and storing fruits
IDEAL CONDITIONS OF DRYING FRUIT
Bleaching treatment before drying the fruit
Prior to drying fruits, a bleaching treatment can be performed to preserve nutrients neutralizing the enzymes that cause putrefaction. Bleaching treatment facilitates the drying process by means of maintaining colors and aroma closer to the natural fruit. On the other hand, it preserves dried fruit longer.
This pretreatment is almost mandatory for drying vegetables, but is optional in the case of fruit, though, if we make a pretreatment, we will improve fruit quality, without much loss of vitamin A and vitamin C, color or flavor.
To do this, you can use a container with an aqueous solution of citric or ascorbic acid, salt, honey, syrup or sulfur. The conditions are as follows:
How to bleach fruit?
The bleaching process implies the following materials and actions:
Ingredients for bleaching fruit
Raisins are obtained by means of drying grapes
Citric acid (3 tablets of 500 mg of vitamin C for 8 cups of fruit)
Salt (2 tablespoons of salt per liter of water)
Syrup (2 parts sugar to one part water. Dissolved sugar in hot water)
Honey (1 part honey and 4 Water)
Sulfur
Bleaching method:
Put a defined quantity of water in a container.
Add the chopped and peeled fruit in the container
Add the required vitamin C and let it act for 5 minutes.
Add the required salt for 5 minutes.
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Put the container on the fire to hot the new water.
Dissolve de required syrup in hot water. Boil the fruit and simmer for 5 minutes. Dry the fruit. The fruit will have a caramel flavor.
(Instead of sugar, you can use honey. Dissolve it well in the hot water. Place the chopped fruit in a bath for 5 minutes. Fruit resulting from this method of beaching will be sweeter than when using syrup)
The process performed with sulfur requires greater care. It is the most widely used industrially and the one to which dried fruit sold in the market is subjected to, because it produces the most colorful fruits and the one that permits a longer storage. Dietetically is not recommended since it results in more allergies in some people. Given the difficulty and danger of the process, it is not recommended to do it at home |
How to preserve dry fruit?
After drying, fruit is required to be kept in a suitable container. Ideally, it should be perfectly clean and dry, air tight, not accessible to the light or smells, protected from moisture and with the possibility of being opened easily.
The material may be plastic, glass or metal. There is the possibility of using larger containers and combine different dry fruits in each of them. In this case, each type of dry fruit should be included it in separate sealed bag.
Once placed in the suitable containers, dry fruit should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from light. A pantry drawer could be used.
Fruit bottles could optionally be covered with some opaque material.
In case we have not a cool room cool, we must never let the dry fruits develop mold because it can produce toxic substances.
* Related information: Dry food, Dry food types
More information on how to dry your fruit and fruit characteristics.
