Dried fruit is fruit that has been dried, either naturally or through use of a machine, such as a dehydrator. Raisins, plums or prunes and dates are examples of popular dried fruits. Other fruits that may be dried include apples, apricots, bananas, cranberries, figs, mangoes, pawpaw, peaches, pineapples,tomatoes and pears. Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water, which is required for decay and the growth of microorganisms. ... Raisins are dried grapes. ... Species See text A plum is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. ... Binomial name Phoenix dactylifera L. The Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera is a palm, extensively cultivated for its edible fruit. ... Binomial name Malus domestica Borkh. ... Binomial name Prunus armeniaca L. The Apricot (Prunus armeniaca, syn. ... Species Hybrid origin; see text A banana plant is a herb in the genus, Musa, which because of its size and structure, is often mistaken for a tree. ... Species Vaccinium macrocarpon Vaccinium microcarpum Vaccinium oxycoccus The cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccus, or in some treatments, in the distinct genus Oxycoccus. ... Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis - Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina - Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica - Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla - Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa - Chinese Banyan Ficus... Species Mangifera altissima Mangifera caesia Mangifera camptosperma Mangifera casturi Mangifera foetida Mangifera indica Mangifera kemanga Mangifera longipes Mangifera macrocarpa Mangifera odorata Mangifera pajang Mangifera pentandra Mangifera persiciformis Mangifera siamensis The mango (Mangifera spp. ... Species See text Pawpaw (Asimina) also known as a prairie banana or Ozark banana, is a genus of eight or nine species of small trees with large leaves and fruit, native to southeastern North America. ... Binomial name Prunus persica (L.) Batsch A peach dessert The Peach (Prunus persica) is a tree native to China that bears a juicy fruit of the same name. ... Binomial name Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. ... Binomial name Solanum lycopersicum L. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, native to Central and South America, from Mexico to Peru. ...

Dried fruit has a long shelf life and therefore can 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 is often added to baking mixes and breakfast cereals. Dried fruit is being increasingly seen as a healthy snack and since the public is prepared to pay more for snacks than staples the quality is improving all the time. Various preserved foods Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent foodborne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor. ... Refrigeration (from the Latin frigus, frost) is generally the cooling of a body by the transfer of a portion of its heat away from it. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Baking Baking is the technique of cooking food in an oven by dry heat applied evenly throughout the oven. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ...

Due to the water loss experienced during dehydration, which may be as high as 7 parts out of eight, dried fruit has a stronger , intense flavour. However the drying process also destroys most of the Vitamin C in the food, so that the dried version of the fruit has only a fraction of the levels of Vitamin C that would exist in the fruit if it were fresh. Chemical structure of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient essential for life, used by the human body for many purposes. ...

Commercially prepared dried fruit may contain sulfur dioxide which can trigger asthma in sensitive individuals, though dried fruit without sulfur dioxide is also available, particularly in health stores. The sulphur is added to "fix" the colour of the product. "Organic" dried fruit is produced without sulphur which results in dark fruit and the flavour is much more charecteristic of the fresh fruit. Sulfur dioxide (or Sulphur dioxide) has the chemical formula SO2. ...

External links

• National Center for Home Food Preservation - Drying Fruits and Vegetables