A while ago, @S sister's baby clamored to eat durian. Now this season, open durian = open blind box not to say, the price is also a little expensive, really can't get your hands on.
Unable to stop the baby from making trouble, Sister @S turned out a bag of freeze-dried durian from the snack box. After coaxing for a long time, the little ancestor finally took it apart and tasted a small piece.
Unexpectedly, if I don't eat, I don't know, this eating actually opens a new world of foodies, "Mom, can I finish eating?" ”
Freeze-dried fruits taste different from common dried fruits (preserved fruits), which have become popular in the snack circle in recent years, and the price is quite expensive. Below our article, we received a message asking "Can fruit freeze-dried be given to children?" ”
Today, let's talk about how the common dried fruits on the market are made? Which is not suitable for the baby, and which is relatively healthy.
The same is dried fruit, the process is very different
When you open the package, you can see that freeze-dried dried fruits and ordinary dried fruits (preserved fruits) look very different.
The ingredient list also varies greatly:
This is because they are made differently:
Most of our common dried fruits are dehydrated by air drying or high-temperature drying to achieve a dry state.
▲ Commonly used in preserved fruits such as raisins and dried apricots
▲Commonly used in dried pineapple, dried vegetables and other crisps
In the process of air drying and drying, fruits will lose a lot of nutrients, such as B vitamins and vitamin C.
When reprocessing, more sugars, salt, flavor pigments, etc. will be added, and the sodium content is usually relatively high, and it is not recommended to eat it often.
The processing method of fruit freeze-dried is very different from what was just mentioned.
The full name of freeze-drying is "vacuum freeze-drying". Simply put, freeze-dried fruit is to cool and freeze the fruit first, turn it into a solid, and then sublimate the ice directly under vacuum conditions
Vacuum freeze drying technology is currently a new process in China, and the cost of the whole set of equipment is high, and more manpower and funds need to be invested.
Moreover, the yield of vacuum freeze drying technology is lower than that of ordinary preserved fruit.
For example, strawberries, if they are generally hot dried, 4 kilograms of fresh strawberries can produce 1 kilogram of preserved fruit; But if it is freeze-dried, it takes 10~11 pounds to produce 1 pound.
▲ 18-hour freeze-drying process of fruits and vegetables, sugar and orange juice
Therefore, the cost of comprehensive equipment, labor, raw materials, fruit freeze-dried is a little expensive and it makes sense.
Concentrated fruit essence with almost no loss of nutrients
Although after a series of operations, the fruits made by vacuum freeze-drying technology are freeze-dried, and their nutritional value and taste are really much better than ordinary preserved fruits.
Nutrients are largely retained
Someone once experimented with purple mulberry fruit to measure the content of anthocyanins, its main bioactive ingredient, after drying. The results showed that the freeze-dried purple mulberry fruit had the least loss of anthocyanin content (about 5% loss), very close to fresh purple mulberry fruit, while other drying methods lost up to 80%.
This is determined by the way it is dried:
Vacuum can avoid oxidation of fruits and retain the rich antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, such as flavonoids and polyphenols;
Freezing protects some nutrients from being destroyed, such as vitamin C and B vitamins.
The taste is more intense
The fruit loses water after the freeze-drying process, and its texture changes from juicy to crunchy.
When you eat it in your mouth, you can taste the sweetness and aroma of the fruit in one bite, and the taste in every inch of the pores is instantly alive.
Because the moisture is sucked away, the sugar and flavor of the fruit itself are concentrated, and the taste will be more intense.
And freeze-dried fruits are loose and chewy, crispy and fragrant, and also easier to digest.
Long shelf life and easy to carry
The residual moisture of freeze-dried fruits is generally less than 5%, which can prevent the growth of microorganisms, and the residual moisture inside the food is evenly distributed, so its shelf life is very long.
After drying the fruit, the volume and weight are also smaller, and it is easy to carry. Therefore, it is also widely used in aviation food, and the fruits and vegetables eaten by astronauts in space are almost all "freeze-dried" products.
The sugar content is not low, and the amount of food for the baby should be controlled
Overall, fruit freeze-dried is a healthy snack that is healthy and nutritious and tastes online. It is usually very good to use it to relieve hunger or add it to milk and sugar-free yogurt to add flavor.
When we buy, we should pay attention to the ingredient list, do not choose the kind of extra added sugar and oil.
▲Choose this ingredient clean
If you give it to the baby, you should control the amount well, because its sugar content is not low.
You know, eating 100g of dried apples is equivalent to eating 4 fresh apples.
According to the recommended amount of fresh fruit for children, we recommend that children aged 4~5 eat about 15g~30g of dried fruit every day.
Most fruits and vegetables can be freeze-dried, but lettuce and watermelon are considered the least suitable foods for freeze-drying because they are too high in water.
Finally, share a trivia:
After the invention of lyophilization technology, it was first used in the medical and scientific communities.
Especially in World War II, freeze-drying technology was applied to blood storage, saving the lives of countless soldiers on the battlefield, which also made more people understand this technology.
Talk about in the comment area, what fruit does your baby like to eat? Do you have any saving tips?