Freeze Dried Vs Dehydrated Fruits

Fruit, considered as one of the “healthiest foods” that people should consume for a better and healthier lifestyle is another food present in the market today. The competition is getting even steeper as manufacturers try to find a way to preserve the nutrients of fruits for a longer period of time. Technologies, such as freeze dried and dehydrated fruits are now trending in the food market to help store these nutritious fruits for longer periods.
If you're wondering which one to choose between freeze dried and dehydrated fruits, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each, then you've come to the right place. In this piece, we'll explore what freeze dried fruits and dehydrated fruits are and the differences between them.

What are Freeze Dried Fruits?

Freeze drying is the process by which water is removed from fruits by first freezing them and then reducing the ambient pressure to permit the frozen water to sublimate from solid to gaseous.

The Advantages of Freeze Dried Fruits

It is nearly all nutrients intact: healthily high in vitamins and minerals, and with a light, crispy texture that can be rehydrated almost on the spot. Freeze dried fruits are high in vitamins and fibre.

The Disadvantages of Freeze Dried Fruits

But freeze drying is more expensive, making the fruits more costly. Also, the fruits might not preserve their shape and size.

What are Dehydrated Fruits?

Dehydration involves removing water, which is the final unbound form of kinetic energy in fruits, by heating it and passing air over it.

The Advantages of Dehydrated Fruits

Dried fruits are cheaper and last longer than fresh fruit. They do not need to be shaped and presented in the same way as fresh fruit, and retain a more natural appearance. They are convenient to store too.

The Disadvantages of Dehydrated Fruits

On the other hand, the high temperatures within dehydration results in substantial loss of nutritional value. They also take longer to rehydrate than their freeze dried counterparts.

Comparing Freeze Dried and Dehydrated Fruits

Nutritional Value Comparison

Among all the processed food you come across, freeze dried foods do have the upper hand over dehydrated foods in terms of nutritional value simply because of the lower heat processing involved in the method.

Taste and Texture Comparison

It’s truly subjective in terms of taste or texture; I find that freeze dried fruit has a ‘crunchier’ texture and dehydrated a ‘chewier’.

Shelf Life Comparison

While both forms of fruitsm, they tend to have a much longer shelf-life than fresh-fruit. However, typically, dried fruits have a slightly longer shelf-life than freeze-dried fruits when they are properly stored.

If anyone decides to dehydrate and then freeze dry, you might come up with funky results... Dehydrating forms a tough outer layer that makes it harder (sometimes impossible) to remove the remaining moisture in the center. So your fd works harder (ie longer) and won't produce as high quality of a product. There are some veggies that do nicely in a dehydrator, if you are wanting to still use your machine. Celery and broccoli and cauliflower and carrots do well and hydrate well. Peppers also do well.