Why opt for freeze-dried fruit?

Fruit resembles our nature’s candy and it is delicious, taste sweet due to the presence of all natural sugar and packed with healthful vitamin and minerals that are essential for the growth of our body. When we think of fruit, we are most probably think of something sweet and juicy to eat.

“Ah boy/ Ah girl ahh, you need to eat more fruit and vegetables you know” is one of the most common recommendations we hear since we are young.

While fruits is so beneficial to us, there have a lot of fruit product that exist in the market such as dried fruits, fried fruits and the newest technology, freeze-dried fruits. Freeze-drying is the best method of water removal with highest end product quality as compared to other methods of food drying (Ratti 2001).

So, what is freeze-dried? Well, it is a process whereby dehydration occur to remove the water through sublimation of ice in the materials (fruits) without passing through the liquid state (Shofian et al. 2011). The process of freeze dying consists of three main phases which include freezing, primary drying (dehydration) and secondary drying (Savo et al. 2012).




Why freeze-dried is such sought after method when it comes to dried fruits? Did you ever grab an apple and take a bite and you found out there is a worm inside? Did you ever buy a bunch of banana and it spoil so easily due to the freaking weather changes? This is not a problem when it comes to freeze-dried fruits.

Freeze-dried fruits come with many advantages such as minimum volume reduction, minute chemical change, minimum loss of volatile components, long storage period, stability, ability to be used as an antioxidants and colorants (Maisnam et al. 2016).

1. Long storage period As compared to fresh food, freeze-dried fruits has longer shelf life when it is seal in the package to prevent the reabsorption of water. The freeze-dried fruits may be stored at room temperature without refrigeration, and be protected against spoilage for many years when it is tightly sealed (Shukla 2011).

2. Sugar content When we think of dried fruits (unsweetened) and freeze-dried fruits we often linked it to sugar boom but is it actually not the truth. Some people misunderstood that dried fruits are packed with sugar but it’s the “added sugar” that matter. On the other hand, since the moisture content of freeze-dried fruits had removed for almost 100%, the fruits shrinks in size and thus, it is easier to consume more servings in one sitting as compare to consume the fresh fruits. Imagine eating 20 grapes and 20 raisins, which will prompt you to continue eating?

3. Grab-and-go Freeze-dried fruits are portable, lightweight and required minimal storage space which is travel-friendly! You can just eat them out of the bag as a snack while inside the car, during the class or in the office. It is definitely a healthier alternative while choosing a snack.

4. Taste Eating freeze-dried fruits are just the same as eating the fresh fruit but it is a lot more cruncher. Freeze-dried fruits can be pair with any food that you pair with fresh fruits such as an oatmeal!




In addition, high cost and energy consumed during the freezing, drying and condensing process. Due to the high freeze drying time, collapse of the product can happen which may result in loss of aroma and yield tough product with low rehydration capacities are the disadvantage of freeze dried products.

Last but not least, please do not forget that moderation is the key! Since freeze-dried fruits are a lot more easier to be eaten, we need to be mindful with the portions. You can pair you freeze-dried fruits with some protein and healthy fats such as nuts(almond, cashew nut, walnut and etc.) so that you can still enjoying the delicious snack while staying on track.

References

Maisnam, D., Rasane, P., Dey, A., Kaur, S. and Sarma, C., 2016. Recent advances in conventional drying of foods. J Food Technol Pres., 1 (1), 25-34.

Ratti, C., 2001. Hot air and freeze-drying of high-value foods: a review. Journal of Food Engineering, 49 (2001), 311-319.

Serna-Cock, L., Vargas-Munoz, D.P. and Aponte, A.A., 2015. Structural, physical, functional and nutraceutical changes of freeze-dried fruit. African Journal of Biotechnology, 14 (^), 442-450.

Savo, I., Dragon, M. and Miladin, B., 2012. Specificities of Fruit Freeze Drying And Product Prices. Economics of Agriculture, 59 (3), 461-471.

Shukla, S., 2011. Freeze Drying Process: A Review. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 2 (12), 3061-3068.

Shofian, N.M., Hamid, A.A., Osman, A., Saari, N., Anwar, F., Dek, M.S.P. and Hairuddin, M.R., 2011. Effect of Freeze-Drying on the Antioxidant Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Selected Tropical Fruits. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 12 (7), 4678-4692.

Welti, J., Vergara, F., Perez, E. and Reyes, A., 2005. Fundamentals and new tendencies of freeze-drying of foods. Universidad de las Americas. Segundo Simposio International de Innovacion y Desarrollo de Alimentos.