Dried or freeze-dried fruits are often found in products such as porridge , cereals, and mixtures for sweet bowls. But what does that even mean? What is the difference between dried and freeze-dried? We will look at all this, as well as the health aspects, in this post.
What are freeze-dried fruits?
Fresh, untreated fruits are rarely used in breakfast products. They would spoil quickly and make the product inedible. Therefore, many food manufacturers resort to preservation methods . These methods are intended to make the contained fruits more enjoyable and durable.
A popular method is drying. The selected fruit varieties are first pitted and then dried in the oven or using special drying devices with low heat input. This process turns grapes into raisins or sultanas , and plums into prunes . In the case of so-called dried fruits, however, opinions are divided – some love them, while others can't do anything with them.
Fortunately, there is another process in which the fruits retain their original taste and structure as much as possible. We are talking about freeze-drying . What makes up this preservation process and how it works, we will now take a look at.
How are freeze-dried fruits made?
Although the production of freeze-dried fruit is quite complicated and time-consuming in detail, we will go through it in a simplified version so that it is easy to understand.
Freeze-drying fruit is a gentle preservation process . This means that both the original structure and the nutrients remain, and the fruits are still preserved.
1. At the beginning, the ripe fruits are harvested . The fresh fruit is still in its normal state and contains plenty of water . Strawberries, for example, have a pure water content of around 90%. Now it is important to freeze the fresh fruit as quickly as possible in order to preserve the valuable nutrients.
2. In the next step, the harvested fruits are filled into a special container . This container is then closed, and a vacuum is created inside . This happens because air is withdrawn from the closed container, creating a negative pressure – a so-called vacuum.
3. Step by step , water escapes from the fruit due to the resulting pressure conditions. The process is called sublimation in technical jargon.
Sublimation : Sublimation describes the process in which something changes from a solid to a gaseous state – in the case of water. In short: the water contained in the fruit is first frozen and thus solidified . Subsequently, it gradually becomes water vapor – and thus gaseous – due to the pressure conditions.
The end products of manufacturing
What remains after freeze-drying are small versions of the original fruits . Due to the removal of water, the fruits retain their basic structure and appearance, but in a reduced form.
What remains, however, are the nutrients. Therefore, do not be fooled if a package contains, for example, "only" three to six grams of freeze-dried strawberries. This amount corresponds to the nutritional value of around 30 to 60 grams of fresh strawberries. The difference is mainly due to the loss of water, while the nutrients and flavorings contained in the fruit are retained.
This is how healthy freeze-dried fruit is
The great advantage of freeze-drying, in addition to preservation, is not necessarily that the structure is preserved. This may be important for freeze-dried flowers, but it is of secondary importance for processing in food. The freeze-dried fruit is often still ground into powder in order to be better integrated into the product.
The real advantage of the preservation process lies (literally) a little below the surface. For example, the aroma substances that are so important for taste are retained. By removing water, the flavor of the fruit is further concentrated – making the taste even more fruity and intense.
In addition, the color remains stable. This gives the breakfast product a fruity appearance. In addition, important phytochemicals and other micronutrients are also contained. Freeze-dried fruits are thus true vitamin and mineral bombs and thus have a positive effect on health.
Vitamin C and selenium, for example, ensure a well-functioning immune system, while the vitamins of the B complex (including B1, B6, B12) support energy metabolism and reduce fatigue. Vitamin E and copper, in turn, protect against oxidative stress. Iron, zinc, and iodine promote concentration . Thus, micronutrients are extremely important in a healthy diet .
How do you recognize products with freeze-dried fruits?
The bottom line is that freeze-dried fruits are very healthy. But how can you tell where and in what quantities they are contained?
If it is not immediately visible on the package, a look at the ingredients list often helps. Let's take the Verival Strawberry-Raspberry Porridge Smoothie Bowl as an illustrative example.
If you look at the list of ingredients, you can find the word "strawberry powder " in the third place. In this case, the strawberry powder is nothing more than freeze-dried strawberries that were subsequently ground.
The proportion of strawberries in the bowl is 6% – this can also be found in the ingredients list. This means there are 6 grams of freeze-dried strawberries in 100 grams of the bowl.
Although this may not sound like much at first, the impression is misleading. In fact, the nutrient content of six grams of freeze-dried strawberries corresponds to 60 grams of fresh strawberries. As a reminder, freeze-drying removes water. This reduces the total weight, but the nutrients remain intact.
Thus, with six grams of freeze-dried strawberries , the body actually gets the amount of micronutrients contained in 60 grams of fresh strawberries .
Breakfast with freeze-dried fruit
We mainly use freeze-dried fruit in our Verival breakfast products. This makes the Strawberry-Raspberry Porridge Smoothie Bowl the rule rather than the exception. The reasons for this are manifold; at the same time, they are also a brief summary of what has been discussed.
On the one hand, freeze-dried foods are considered healthy. They contain plenty of healthy micronutrients in concentrated form, making them a perfect companion for a healthy breakfast .
In addition, it is known that we perceive food not only with our mouths but also with our eyes. The fact that both the taste and the color are preserved, or even intensified, during freeze-drying is another advantage of the gentle preservation process.
All in all, freeze-dried fruits are an excellent way to enhance breakfast products such as porridges, cereals, and crunchies in terms of taste and health. This is not only enjoyed by the taste buds but also by the immune system!
