dried fruits

dried fruits

Drying is a creative way to preserve foods and use home-grown fruit, extra produce (e.g., ripe bananas) and farmers' market specials. Like all methods of preservation, drying causes some nutrient loss. Nutritional changes that occur during drying include:

Calorie content: does not change, but is concentrated into a smaller mass as moisture is removed.

Fiber: no change.

Vitamin A: fairly well retained under controlled heat methods.

Vitamin C: pretreatment with ascorbic acid or lemon juices enhances levels of vitamin C, though loss will occur during drying.

Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin: fairly good retention.

Minerals: fairly good retention.

For best retention of nutrients in dried foods, store in a cool, dark, dry place and use within a year.