We at buah know very well that dried fruits are a great alternative to sweets. But do you know that too?
Dried fruit has incredibly positive effects on your digestion and is actually not as unhealthy a calorie bomb as many people think. Dried fruits also contain lots of vitamins that are healthy for you and your body.
Dried fruits and their added value
After the gentle drying processes ( freeze , air and vacuum drying ), dried fruit still contains many healthy nutrients. This makes them a healthy snack for in between meals or the perfect addition to your morning muesli.
Fiber, minerals & Co.
Dried fruits contain many minerals such as potassium and phosphorus. But also lots of secondary plant substances and valuable fiber. The latter are primarily responsible for filling you up. On top of that, dried fruit is full of antioxidants.
The only thing you should pay attention to is the high sugar content, which is so heavily compressed during drying. He is the reason why the fruits are considered potential calorie bombs.
In our article “ Can you lose weight with dried fruits? “, we’ll take a closer look at the ingredients in dried fruit.
Water & vitamins in dried fruits
During the drying process, the fresh fruits mainly lose water. The loss of moisture is the basis for the long shelf life of dried fruits. This process is what makes the little treats so crunchy and intense in taste.
In addition, the high water loss means that not only the fructose, but also the remaining nutrients such as the many healthy vitamins are highly concentrated. Contrary to what you might think, some vitamins survive the drying process.
The production of dried fruits
Which drying process is chosen has a strong influence on the health value of the dried fruits. The gentler the process, the more valuable minerals, nutrients and fiber the fruits contain.
Drying by applying heat
The so-called air drying is the type of process that removes the most nutrients from the dried fruits. Here the moisture is removed from the fresh fruit using hot air.
This heat destroys many of the healthy ingredients in the fruit. In addition, other additives such as sulfur dioxide or oils are often added to this process. The addition of sugar is also not uncommon here.
This actually turns the healthy fruit into an unhealthy calorie bomb that hardly differs from conventional sweets. Healthy dried fruit can also be produced using air drying - such as our organic coconut chips . They are gently air-dried completely without any additives.
Drying by vacuum
During vacuum drying , the freshly harvested fruits are exposed to a negative pressure that reduces the boiling point of the water they contain. This means that the water evaporates at very low temperatures.
The dried fruits are dried gently and therefore lose fewer healthy nutrients and minerals. In addition, color and shape remain almost completely included. Our ORGANIC apple chips are gently dried in this way.
Drying by shock freezing
The rest of our buah fruits are exclusively freeze-dried , which is the most gentle drying process. After harvesting, the fruits are immediately frozen, which stops the degeneration process of the nutrients.
The moisture is then removed using a vacuum. This means that the cell structures and with them all the aromas, minerals and important vitamins remain intact.
In addition, neither sulfur nor oils are used in this type of drying, which is why freeze-dried buah dried fruits basically have no additives.
Drying by microwave vacuum
During microwave vacuum drying, the water in the fruit is dissolved using high-energy microwaves. Both the structure and color of the fruit are preserved.
According to studies by scientists at the universities of Dresden and Jena, the healthy ingredients are also retained. It was found that 50 grams of dried strawberries contain as many vitamins as 600 grams of frozen strawberries.
Do dried fruits still have vitamins?
As you can see from the different drying processes, the vitamin content in dried fruit can vary greatly. If you value a high vitamin content, you should pay attention to the production method used when buying your dried fruits.
If you prefer to use freeze-dried fruits, you can ensure that your healthy snack is just as rich a source of vitamins as fresh fruit. Freeze-dried fruit in particular still contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and C.
Do freeze-dried fruits have more vitamins than other dried fruits?
Dried fruits are particularly rich in vitamins. But only because drying compresses any nutrients. Because of its high sugar content, dried fruit is not only a small calorie bomb, but also a vitamin bomb.
Put in perspective, however, dried fruit does not have a higher vitamin content than fresh fruit. The following table gives you an overview of how the vitamin C content varies between 100 grams of fresh and dried fruit:
|
Vitamin C content per 100 g of fresh fruit |
Vitamin C content per 100 g of dried fruit |
|
|
|
|
|
|
apricot |
9 mg |
1 mg |
|
banana |
11 mg |
28 mg |
|
date |
0.4 mg |
|
|
plum |
9.5 mg |
0.6 mg |
|
Grape/raisin |
4 mg |
2.3 mg |
Which dried fruits have the most vitamins?
Dried apples and bananas in particular have a very high proportion of vitamin C compared to other types of dried fruit. But grapefruits and oranges also have a high vitamin C content when dried.
For example, 100 grams of our organic apple chips contain 38 milligrams of vitamin C. This makes them one of the healthiest dried fruits.
If you now consider the fact that our apples are vacuum-dried, there is still a little room for improvement in the vitamin content of freeze-dried fruits such as our figs or sour cherries .
If you would like to know what other positive properties vitamin C has in addition to maintaining healthy immune function, take a look at our article: Can you lose weight with dried fruits?
Be careful with sulphurized dried fruits
We would like to give you a little tip regarding sulphurized dried fruits: One of the main disadvantages of sulphurization is the destruction of the valuable B vitamins (especially B1 and folic acid).
You can find out about the disadvantages of sulfurizing dried fruit and the sulfur dioxide it contains in one of our latest articles.
How many vitamins dried fruits have - our buah conclusion
Despite all the myths and stories, dried fruits are still full of valuable nutrients. They are the perfect snack between meals – for you and your whole family.
However, it is better to always enjoy the healthy treat in moderation and pay attention to the sugar content. A balanced diet between dried and fresh fruits is the key here.
Otherwise, enjoy our pure buah fruits or our fruit mixtures ! A handful of the small, crunchy vitamin bombs can support you and your body in everyday life.
