Dry Fruits

Dried fruit is fruit that has been dried, either naturally or through use of a machine, such as a dehydrator. Vine fruits make up over three-quarters of the total global dried fruit volume. Prunes (also referred to as plums) and dates are other examples of popular dried fruits in the EU. Dried fruit has a long shelf life and can therefore provide a good alternate to fresh fruit, allowing out of season fruits to be available. Drying is a good way to preserve fruit in the absence of refrigeration. Dried fruit and vegetables are whole, cut, sliced, broken or powdered, but not prepared further. In addition to drying, certain preservatives may be added to maintain the equality. For instance, sulphur dioxide is added to prevent fruit discolouring. The use and content of preservatives in food is regulated by the EU (see also paragraph 10 on legislative requirements in the CBI market survey ‘The preserved fruit and vegetable market in the EU’ and chapter 5 of this Survey). Organic dried fruit is produced without sulphur which results in dark fruit and the flavour is much more characteristic.
Vine fruits
Vine fruits are essentially dried grapes and comprise sultanas, raisins and currants. The sultana is a soft, juicy, amber coloured fruit with a very sweet flavour. It is largely produced from a seedless white grape and varies in shape from round to oval according to variety. The majority is produced from the Thompson seedless grape. The sultana has its own distinctive sun-drying treatment which varies depending on origin, but which differentiates it from a raisin. One method is to spray the grape with a vegetable-based drying oil, prior to sun-drying. The actual sun-drying process can also vary, depending on country of origin. One method is to sun-dry the clusters of fruit on racks in partial shade. Another method is to place the fruit in the open sun on specially shaped drying areas. Drying can take from a week to ten days until the moisture content has been