Hiver Fruits

 Hiver Fruits

Summer is the season of fruit. This is true, of course. The heat of this season does its job in ripening the fruits. And presenting it to people ready to eat, with all the benefits it contains, the summer sun had the effect of providing these fruits with them.

 However, the man was able, as usual, to overcome the lack of fruits in the summer, by preserving these fruits, or some of them, more precisely: preserving most of their properties, and making use of them in the winter days when a person needs more thermal energy to help him resist the cold of that season. To what extent a person is able to, succeed in that. And what are the fruits that we can - one way or another - keep until winter? ...

There are, for example, peaches, figs, apricots, and grapes, all of which can be dried and stored until winter. They have high nutritional values ​​if people know how to eat them, and before this: If they know how to prepare them to face time and to have a clear idea about this aspect, it is worth knowing that it is a fruit. Freshly harvested apricots or peaches contain a water content of not less than eighty per cent by weight. And if this water has the merit of quenching thirst, then it - at the same time - works to accelerate the spoilage of the fruit, because the water is a suitable medium for planting and it is rich in "fructose" and other elements that are suitable for the growth of septic and rapid decay.

In order for a juicy fruit to be preserved for a long time, the percentage of water in it must be reduced, so that it does not exceed twenty per cent of its weight only because this is the amount in which vital germs - especially mould - cannot be generated. On the other hand, when the sugar content of the fruit is high, its ability to resist time increases, and this is the basis on which the jam industry is based: expelling water and increasing sugar.

 And mankind has made, in various eras, great efforts to find the most effective ways to preserve the edible fruits, and these efforts are particularly active in the White Sea basin where the sun shines during most days of the year, and these efforts were able to achieve impressive results, which made some The countries of the region are famous for their prowess in preserving certain types of fruits. People were familiar with Greek raisins, Damascus apricots, Turkey and Iran.

As for the northern countries, where the sunblocks a few days of the year, and where weak heat is sent, people have had to follow other methods such as evaporation, squeezing and pressure. Then the 'industrialization' of drying was achieved using machines, hot material streams, and mechanical flattening.

The most important thing we notice about dried fruits is the tendency of their colours to darken and black, and the reason for that is oxidation, and if the vendors offer us these fruits with a "light" colour close to the colour of the fresh fruit, then this is done by industrial means that make us wonder about the extent of their impact on The intended benefit of that fruit. When the drying process begins, dipping the fruit in hot water leads to the destruction of the yeast oxidation "oxidase", but bleaching depends on placing the fruit in a special environment based on it.

Sulfur anhydride, which is a gas that prevents oxidation, so the fruits drink it and settle in it, and this means that the closer the fruit is to its original colour while it is fresh, the more sulfurous substances that it was exposed to. However, this work is not without caveats. Indeed, if sulfur exceeds the reasonable limit, it turns into poison. Therefore, legislation in some countries has stipulated that the amount of sulfur be limited to an extent that does not constitute a danger.

 And the question now:

-What about vitamins? ... and do they remain in dried fruits? ... and what are their amounts and benefits? ...

Fruits, as you know, are a rich source of vitamins, especially vitamins (B1), (B2), (BB) and (C), so what is left of these vitamins after drying? ...

Let's take figs as an example ... Fig fruits that are dried at a temperature of fifty degrees lose their entire stock of vitamin C, as for vitamin A, it decreases from 140 units to 80 units per cent of a gram of figs, because vitamin A can resist Strong temperatures, even if he is susceptible to oxygen in the air, as for the vitamin (C), it cannot resist heat and air, so it is destroyed quickly. Here we say that vitamin (A) and vitamin (C) can be preserved if drying is done by electrical means, but if other means are used, they may be a reason for eliminating the vitamin content in fruits, and modern industry has taken into consideration these aspects and has taken measures to ensure Reducing the vitamin that we lose by drying so that the missing vitamin percentage does not exceed 1-10% of the fruit stock while it is in a fresh state.

 On the other hand, it is necessary to note and pay attention to an important fact, which is that one hundred grams of dried fruits equal - at least - four hundred grams of the same fruits, which are fresh.

So .. the dried fruits that are eaten in the winter are rich sources of vitamins if taken in small amounts. One hundred grams of it gave an average amount of calories not less than 280 calories on average, while fresh, it gave no more than 60-80 calories only.

The dried fruits, with these qualities that are characteristic of them, are considered an essential food for athletes, workers and all those who engage in stressful work, and they also benefit children if given to them in small amounts, as the salts and sugar in the form of fructose are useful for the growth of children and protect them from the evil of dental pitting.

 In general, it can be said that dried fruits give 78% of sugars and starchy substances, 6% of proteins, and a high percentage of mineral salts, in addition to vitamins (A, B, and C).

 It is necessary to soak these fruits, such as apricots and peaches, for a period of at least twenty-four hours, then cook them, because that releases them from harmful cyanotic acid.