Dried and dehydrated fruits are quickly becoming one of the hottest snack options for everyone from children to adults. They can be found either on their own, mixed with other fruits, or used as an addition to snack mixes, cereals, and other similar types of products. In addition, dried and dehydrated fruits are a common component of many different types of baked goods, including but not limited to muffins, cupcakes, cakes, and breakfast bars.
They are healthy, nutritious, and fun to eat – however, the dehydrating process can sometimes remove the natural flavor from these fruit products, which means that flavorists must step in to ensure that these fruits taste as great and as natural in their dehydrated form as they did off the branch or the vine.
The range of dehydrated fruits that can be enhanced by quality flavor ingredients include basics, such as raisins, as well as new classics such as dehydrated cranberries. Many other types of berries can also be found in dried and dehydrated forms, such as blueberries, strawberries, and much more.
Other types of berries do not generally do well with dehydration – examples of this include blackberries and raspberries. Cherries are another similar type of fruit that may not stand up as well to dehydration. However, these are popular fruit flavors. In order to provide buyers with the delicious fruit flavors that they crave, many companies have begun to enhance the flavor of dehydrated fruits such as cranberries and raisins with other flavor ingredients.
Buyers can now find cherry-flavored dried cranberries, which can be produced with natural anisyl acetone, or even flavors that play with, rather than hide, the natural flavor of the cranberry itself. An example of this would be the enhancing of a dried cranberry with Advanced Biotech’s Natural Citrus Enhancer to create a great orange-cranberry flavor.
Other types of dried or dehydrated fruits, such as banana, apple, pear, and apricot can also be enhanced by the addition of fruit flavors. As is the case with berries, such as cranberry, they can either be enhanced with flavors that recreate the qualities of fresh, natural flavors of the same fruits, as well as flavors that lend them a new, unique quality.
For example, bananas can be enhanced with Advanced Biotech’s natural banana extract in order to ensure they taste exactly as buyers expect. However, apricots can be flavored with an ingredient such as Advanced Biotech’s natural cassia oleoresin to give them a slightly sweet almond note.
However, companies that do choose to enhance their products should ensure that they are meeting buyer’s needs and desires by choosing all-natural flavor ingredients. In many cases, extracts are available that contain no additional chemicals or compounds, and that therefore provide the most accurate recreation of the fruit’s natural flavor.
Regardless of whether a company chooses to go bold or to take a subtler approach, there are many ways to add delicious flavor to dried and dehydrated fruit products. As the market for these and other similar products grows, there is a lot of room for innovation in the creation of these tasty and healthy treats.
FAQs
Dehydrated fruit can add a lot to the flavor of a co*cktail. When you dehydrate fruit, it concentrates its flavors without having to mess around with zesting and peeling.
How to make dried fruit taste better? ›
Put your dried fruit in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes, and then strain the fruit and discard the water. The fruit will be plumper, juicier, and softer. To give your fruit some extra flavor, swap the water for fruit juice or a liquor, like rum, bourbon, or brandy.
Does dehydrating fruit remove flavor? ›
Dehydrated foods can lose much of their flavor, mainly due to the heat drying processes used to remove the moisture. Freeze dried foods (including fruits!) keep most of their original flavor until they are ready to be enjoyed.
When dehydrated fruits and vegetables are placed in water slowly they will swell and regain their original shape Why? ›
The cell walls of the fruits and vegetables act as a semipermeable membrane. When they are dried, concentration inside becomes higher. On placing in water, the process of osmosis takes place. So, they swell and return to their original form.
Why is my dehydrated fruit not crispy? ›
If your dehydrated food feels soft, spongy, or sticky it's probably not dehydrated enough. Put the product back in for additional time. Hard and crunchy or breakable pieces are done.
What to avoid with dried fruit? ›
Avoid Dried Fruit with Added Sugar (Candied Fruit)
Added sugar has repeatedly been shown to have harmful effects on health, increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease and even cancer ( 28 , 29 ).
How to sweeten dehydrated fruit? ›
Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or 1/8 teaspoon of ascorbic acid to every 2 cups of light-colored fruit to prevent darkening. Sweeteners are usually unnecessary because of the concentration of the natural sweetness during the drying process. If desired, add ¼ to ½ cup of corn syrup or honey for every 2 cups of fruit.
How to infuse dried fruit? ›
Preparation
- Combine all of the ingredients except the honey in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the honey, cover and let the dried fruit continue to steep for 30 minutes.
Vitamin Deficiencies
While most nutrients remain unchanged after dehydration, vitamins A and C may be reduced or destroyed. Depending on the method used, dehydration can also reduce Bvitamins and some minerals. Make sure to get these nutrients from other sources to avoid vitamin deficiencies.
Do you put anything on fruit before dehydrating? ›
Pretreating Fruit before Dehydrating
To minimize oxidation, place fruit, as soon as you cut it, into a bowl with lemon juice, or in a solution of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and water for ten minutes. Lemon Juice Pretreatment: The citric acid in lemon juice works as an antioxidant.
You cannot overdry foods you plan on putting into storage. The drier it is, the better it will store. You might over dry fruit leather or jerky a little more than your taste preference is, but you cannot overdry food meant for food storage.
What happens if you put dried fruit in water? ›
Dried Fruits and Hydration
Dried fruits are great on the go snacks, kids love them, and they are perfect for many cooking & baking recipes. When soaked in a liquid such as water, the fruit will plump up, but it will not recover its original state.
What is the best temperature for drying fruits and vegetables? ›
Foods can be dried in the sun, in an oven, or in a food dehydrator by using the right combination of warm temperatures, low humidity, and air current. The optimum temperature for drying food is 140 °F.
How long do dehydrated fruits and vegetables last? ›
Storing dehydrated foods
Storage times: These range from 4 months to 1 year. Storage temperature: The higher the temperature, the shorter the storage time. Most dried fruits can be stored for 1 year at 60º F or 6 months at 80º F. Vegetables have about half of this shelf life.
Fresh fruit vs. Dehydrated fruitFrutoohttps://www.frutoo.com ›
If you've ever had the opportunity to eat dried fruit, you've noticed substantial differences with fresh fruit, and you're sure to think that the qu...
This can be done using a food dehydrator or the oven. I have dehydrated by air drying before, too, but I would not recommend this as a beginner in case of spoil...
Preserve the natural flavor of peak-season fruits and avoid the additives of store-bought dried fruit with our step-by-step guide for how to dehydrate fruit.
A dehydrated fruit is good naturally!
The natural dehydration process allows to extract the colour and flavours quickly and then obtain a very concentrated fruit without any water. Because the fruit is more tasty, a smaller quantity of the dehydrated food is needed for the results you're looking for.
What is the point of dehydrated fruit in co*cktails? ›
“You're adding a citrus element to a drink without having to add citrus at all,” Sprouse says. “When you dehydrate something, it concentrates the flavors and aromas.”
Does dehydrating food change the taste? ›
Removal of water is not the only consequence of most drying operations. Other important quality-related changes in taste, flavor, appearance, texture, structure and nutritive value may occur in the course of drying. The extent of such changes depends on the process conditions.
Are dehydrated fruits as good as fresh? ›
By weight, dried fruit contains up to 3.5 times the fiber, vitamins and minerals of fresh fruit. Therefore, one serving can provide a large percentage of the daily recommended intake of many vitamins and minerals, such as folate ( 1 ). However, there are some exceptions.
