Dried fruit is one of the easiest and most popular ways to eat fruit and is especially popular with hikers due to its convenience. It’s also a fantastic ingredient to have in your kitchen for including in your food products and recipes. However, due to the nature of dried fruit, it can be incredibly difficult to tell when it’s gone bad. Dried fruit does still have a shelf life, which depends on a variety of factors including best by date, the original drying method and how the dried fruit has been stored. In this article, we take a look at how you can get the most out of your dried fruit.
What’s Freeze Drying Fruit All About?
As you may know, “dried” fruit is actually freeze dried fruit. Which means that this crunchy snack was once indeed a soft, ripe fruit. But how on earth do you achieve this radical transformation and what are the benefits of freeze drying fruit?
Luke LaBorde, associate professor of food science at Penn State tells Epicurious.com what freeze drying fruit is all about:
“In the freeze-drying process (called sublimation, if you want to get geeky), the water in the fruit converts directly to vapor, shrinking and concentrating the fruit. It’s a longer, costlier preservation method, which is why you’ll pay more for freeze-dried. There’s typically one ingredient listed: the fruit itself. “Because there’s no heating step involved and no disruption of the tissue, you get far better quality,” LaBorde says.”
How Do I Store Dried Food to Extend Its Shelf Life?
The shelf life of virtually any food can be extended if you store it properly, with dried fruit being no exception. Of course, just as all ripe fruit is not created with an equal shelf life, that goes for its freeze dried counterparts as well. However, there are simple ways that you can extend the shelf life of any dried fruit, including freezing for long term storage.
Eatbydate.com explains how you can extend the shelf life of various dried fruits:
“You can help dried fruit stay fresh longer by storing it in your refrigerator or in your pantry in a tightly closed container to keep out moisture and other contaminants. Some fruits, like prunes which are moister than many of the others, enjoy the moisture of the fridge and taste better cold. For a long-term option, you can also store your dried fruit in a freezer. Freezing is supposed to be an indefinite form of storage, but after varying amounts of time most foods start to break down or develop freezer burn. Properly dried fruit seems to be an exception – it really does freeze well for extended amounts of time if properly sealed with an airtight sealer. Some benefits of proper food storage include eating healthier, cutting food costs and helping the environment by avoiding waste.”
What is the Recommended Time in Storage?
Although the very nature of dried fruit seems like it would last forever, all dried fruit does have a shelf life. Of course, this shelf life ranges quite a bit depending on if the dried fruit has been properly stored. If stored at the correct temperature, the shelf life of your dried fruit can be extended by as much as 8 months.
“Recommended storage times for dried foods range from 4 months to 1 year. Because food quality is affected by heat, the storage temperature helps determine the length of storage; the higher the temperature, the shorter the storage time. Most dried fruits can be stored for 1 year at 60ºF, 6 months at 80ºF. Vegetables have about half the shelf-life of fruits. Dried foods kept in a good deep freezer can last almost indefinitely.”
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Fruits such as dried apricots, prunes, and raisins will keep at top quality in the pantry for six months. After opening, you may wish to store them tightly sealed in the refrigerator to preserve the quality for up to six additional months or freeze them for one month.
Fruits such as dried apricots, prunes, and raisins will keep at top quality in the pantry for six months. After opening, you may wish to store them tightly sealed in the refrigerator to preserve the quality for up to six additional months or freeze them for one month.
Dried foods keep 4-12 months depending on storage conditions. For a longer shelf life, store in a cool, dry, dark place under 60 degrees F. While it is not necessary, dried food (except for meat jerky) can be stored in the fridge to extend shelf life.
Now back to how long dehydrated food will last if vacuumed-sealed. Vacuum-sealed dehydrated products can last for up to 10 years. This is because the vacuum seal bag prevents oxygen from entering. Bacteria and mold cannot develop or destroy dehydrated food without oxygen.
In fact, dried fruit keeps very well in the freezer and can last up to 12 months when stored properly. Nuts on the other hand vary depending on the nut. Storing nuts and dried fruits properly is essential to maintain their freshness and prevent them from spoiling or becoming stale.
Yes, dry ingredients like flour, beans, pastas, and more expire and can become unsafe to consume. Different dry goods expire at different rates depending on many factors, including how they are stored.
Dehydrated fruit can last anywhere from four to twelve months. This depends on the temperature they're stored at. Aim for a consistent 15 degrees C and your dry fruits should stay good for a year. Check on your dehydrated fruit every two or three weeks to make sure it's still bone dry.
Flour and sugar, for example, may last up to six months in the pantry, but storing them with a vacuum sealer increases that range to about one to two years. Rice and pasta may have the same results — both may last up to six months when conventionally stored, but that number jumps to one to two years when vacuum sealed.
Vacuum-packed food will always last longer than other preservation methods, other than canning. Regular plastic bags, foil, ziplock bags, and even airtight containers can't preserve food as well as vacuum sealers can.
If kept properly stored, dried fruits can last for several months after the expiration date. In fact, even if they are just stored in the pantry, they can last from six months to a year after the expiration date as long as the container is airtight and properly sealed after each use.
Using glass containers allows you to see moisture buildup on the interior immediately. Put the containers in a cool, dry, dark place or in the refrigerator or freezer. Properly stored, dried fruits keep well for six to 12 months.
By removing the moisture from fruits, including bananas, most berries, apples, dragon fruits, apricots, and pineapples, the food becomes more shelf-stable and resistant to mold or rot, which plagues fresh fruits as they age.
However, do-it-yourself home dehydrators may only remove 80% of the water in food, leaving it with a shorter shelf life. However, most top end dehydrated food will still maintain a shelf life of up to 15 years, and depending on the type of food, in some cases up to 25 years.
Like many of us, molds love sugar. They can eat the sugar molecules, creating the energy they need to survive, thrive, and multiply. Decreasing sugar intake helps to discourage their growth in the body. Unfortunately, most dried fruits have a high sugar content so staying away from them is the best option.
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