How to choose dried fruit? 4 Ways to Buy Healthy Natural Dried Fruit Snacks for Your Family！

Article last updated: April 26, 2022

Dried fruit has a long history of development and many benefits, but it has always been popular in European and American countries.

In recent years, with the occurrence of various food safety problems and the rise of people’s awareness of health, natural dried fruit has gradually become popular in Asian countries.

Natural dried fruit retains the flavor of the fruit, while being chewy, and also has many nutritional values that the human body needs.

The main point is that both seniors and teenagers like dried fruit, and they don’t feel greasy after eating too much of it.

Especially children like it more. As a parent, it is especially nice to see children eating dried health fruit one bite after another.

In terms of convenience and taste, dried fruit can completely replace the snacks of the past and is the best choice to become a natural snack in the future.

Many people wonder how to choose dried fruit when there are so many different kinds of dried fruit on the market, and some of them seem to have many additives.

Here ONELY summarizes 4 methods to teach you how to choose healthy natural handmade dried fruit snacks for your family.

1. How to choose dried fruit, first understand the production process of dried fruit

Before buying dried fruit, it is important to understand the common dehydration and drying process of dried fruit：

• Sun drying
• Hot air drying
• Fry-drying
• Vacuum drying

Sun drying：This is the oldest way of using the natural sunlight to expose the fruit to moisture loss. The disadvantage of this method is that it is easily affected by natural weather, and it is an open space when exposed to the sun, which may be accompanied by contamination by dust or flies, and there are concerns about hygiene.

Hot air drying：The production method is chosen according to each manufacturer’s own formula or process. It is generally air-dried at a temperature of about 50°C – 60°C to evaporate the water therein. Compared to the sun-drying method, this method retains the natural nutrients while maintaining a hygienic state. Although some squeamish and heat-sensitive nutrients such as vitamin C will be partially lost, most nutrients are “healthy”. A real healthy dried fruit

Fry-drying：Frying is also one of the methods of drying. This drying method is the easiest to use, but it causes the fruit to lose nutrients and increases the fat content. These dried fruits are crunchy and are usually sweetened with sugar, salt and other flavorings. Strictly speaking, it is no longer a dried fruit, and eating it is a great burden on the body.

Vacuum drying：After the fruit is frozen, the ice crystals are sublimated to a gaseous state under vacuum to remove water. This method requires special equipment and consumes a lot of energy, but the production capacity is less than one-third of the hot air drying method. This method has the opportunity to preserve more nutritional value without the addition of artificial additives.

Among the 4 drying methods, the hot air drying method is the most recommended.

The most important feature of the hot air drying method is that the flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are largely preserved.

In the absence of preservatives or additives, this tests the manufacturer’s process technology in order to achieve the effect of preservation.

2. Buy dried fruit with food “ingredients” label, not bulk dried fruit

After confirming the production method of dried fruit, the next step is to turn to the back of the product package to see if it has the “Nutrition Facts” label.

It is recommended to choose a brand of dried fruit with a complete package, and there should be detailed food information on the product packaging.

• SGS Food Nutrition Label：Can be used to calculate a day’s intake of nutrients according to individual needs.
• Ingredient Description：Choose dried fruit that is 100% pure fruit, and only have fruit in the ingredients. If there are added sugar, salt and other food additives, or preservatives, coloring, etc., you will know at a glance.
• With storage advice and shelf life：There is a basis for storage after purchase, and within the expiry date, consume as soon as possible to ensure freshness.
• Manufacturer：Clearly marked the manufacturer’s address, with a complete description of the source of the food, so you can eat with peace of mind.

The above 4 points are the information that a natural dried fruit brand needs to have on the packaging, which is a responsibility for consumers who pay attention to family and health.

The biggest difference between natural dried fruit and general market snacks is that there are no additives and other preservatives, so the information on its ingredient labeling and shelf life is particularly important！

By using the above selection details, you can basically eliminate more than 80% of the non-natural dried fruits from the wide range of dried fruit products.

Whether it’s for yourself or your family, it’s a lot easier to eat. This is also a love and responsibility to yourself and your family.

As for the bulk dried fruit, the source and date of manufacture are unknown, and there are problems with light exposure, failure to seal the dried fruit and control the temperature and humidity of the environment where it is placed, it is very easy for bacteria to grow, and the naked eye cannot detect the abnormality for a while.

Therefore, it is recommended not to buy dried fruit in bulk or without ingredient information label！

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👉👉👉Recommended for those who love snacks to read 4 reasons why you must try natural dried fruit once in your life ! ! !

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3. Dried fruit packaging material

Fine feathers make fine birds ! Dried fruit is also needed !

The beautifully packaged dried fruit is not only pleasing to the eye, but also to the mind.

Small details of packaging material are also particularly important！

The quality of the material not only enhances the quality of the dried fruit, but it is also a responsibility to the consumer to get this small detail right.

Dried fruit packaging is recommended to be selected according to the following 4 points：

• The most basic thing is to check whether the packaging bag has any peculiar smell and is thick.

• Light Proofing of the package：Even if you have purchased hygienic, safe and non-additive dried fruit, if you buy it home without proper preservation, and accidentally forget the dried fruit by the window or living room under direct sunlight, it will cause irresistible qualitative changes to the dried fruit. Therefore, the protection of the packaging bag from light is a good choice to protect the dried fruit. Try not to choose a transparent packaging bag for the sake of beauty.

• Packaging tightness：By choosing a sealed zipper bag, you don’t have to worry about “what to do if you can’t finish it”. At the same time, there is no need to move it to a glass jar or a fresh-keeping bag for storage, so that children can seal the unfinished fruit by themselves, reducing moms’ workload.

• Small Package：Although natural dried fruit is a healthy snack, it is recommended to eat it in moderation according to the nutritionist’s daily nutritional intake recommendations. Any food should not be over-consumed, so the small package prevents the family from overdosing because it is too delicious, and has the advantages of being easy to carry and fresh after opening. It is suitable for taking to work as a snack during a break, a picnic, a small snack when driving away, a snack before a meal, or a small amount to match with meals such as yogurt, salad, etc. It is a great match！

4. “Preserved fruit” is not really “dried fruit”

Preserved fruit refers to products that are dried after candied fruit.

The production method of preserved fruit is generally produced by cutting, soaking in salt water, blanching, candiing and other processes.

It is not like the process of dehydration of dried fruit, but a large amount of sugar is slowly absorbed into the fruit pieces when heated, replacing the original water in the fruit.

This is also why some preserved fruits have a translucent appearance. During the production process, the nutrition does not increase but only decreases and disappears.

In terms of appearance, the biggest difference between natural handmade dried fruit and preserved fruit is that the dried fruit is generally ordinary, but the preserved fruit is bright and colorful.

Some preserved fruits are labeled as preservative-free because the preserved fruit itself already contains more than 65% sugar.

Because sugar has preservative properties, there is no need to add preservatives.

There is no special technology in the production process of preserved fruit. It only needs to add the equivalent of sugar or salt water to achieve the effect of preservation.

But blindly adding sugar, eating too much will make you gain weight, and it will increase the risk of diabetes.

Therefore, when purchasing, we must pay attention to the selection of dried or preserved fruit according to the health of the eater.

Conclusion: ONELY dried fruit meets the above 4 selection criteria

If you are choosing a natural dried fruit for your family as a regular snack at home, you can click >> to learn more ! ! !

ONELY dried fruits are dried by hot air drying method, and the whole process is dehydrated by low temperature. We do not pursue fast processing, but rather a long time for high nutritional value of dried fruits.

We are responsible for you, and mark all product information that should be noted, so that you, your children and your family can eat with peace of mind.

At the same time, we have made great efforts in the selection of materials on the packaging. In addition to the beautiful design, it also achieves the effect of small packaging, easy to carry, good sealing and good protection from light.

ONELY’s mission is to create dried fruit snacks suitable for all ages, we only have dried fruit but no preserved fruit！

If you have any questions about this article, please ask below, we are happy to answer you!😉

Thanks for reading!

Creating natural dried fruits suitable for all ages, leading a new era of healthy snacks.

– ONELY Nature