Candied fruits can be found as an independent product, sold in various stores and markets. They can also be seen as an ingredient or decoration for a bakery, ice cream, candy, etc. There is a generally accepted technology for manufacturing natural candied fruits, the requirements for which are prescribed by the GOST rules.
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Natural candied fruit manufacturing technology
Natural candied fruits are called boiled in sugar syrup and then dried whole berries and fruits or their slices. Pieces of vegetables and peel of citrus fruits are also used for their preparation.
To prepare candied fruits, the raw materials for them are boiled over low heat in sugar syrup until a clear pulp is obtained. Then the boiled pieces are thrown onto a sieve, separating them from the syrup, and dried.
According to the cooking technology, two types of candied fruits are distinguished: folding and glazed. The surface of the hinged candied fruit is covered with a dried film of sugar syrup, glazed ones have a shiny glassy crust due to the fact that after cooking they are immersed for several minutes in a thick sugar syrup. Then candied fruit is dried at a temperature of 50 ° C.
How to distinguish natural candied fruits from artificial fakes?
When buying, pay attention to the appearance of candied fruits: they should not be like jam, stuck together. Note that the color of the natural product must match the natural shade of the fruit or vegetable from which it was made. For example, if you are offered natural candied melon, but they have a bright orange tint uncharacteristic for this fruit, most likely, artificial dyes were used in the process of their preparation.
There are no bright red or bright green natural candied fruits without the use of dyes. What unscrupulous sellers give out as candied mango and kiwi is actually a waste of pineapple - its cheap hard core tinted with artificial dyes.
To determine if there are dyes in the candied fruit you bought, take a tablespoon of the product and dip it in a glass of water. Leave candied fruit in water for 10-15 minutes. If after this time you notice that the water has colored and the product itself has become less bright, dye was added to it during cooking. In addition to dyes, various flavors are often added to candied fruits, which give the product an unnaturally rich odor.
Try to buy candied fruits in a sealed package, not by weight. So you, firstly, protect yourself from bacteria, the carrier of which is ordinary dust. Secondly, the packaging is usually provided with a label with information about the product and you can always read the composition of the product that you are going to buy.