Selected dried fruits as a source of nutrients

Abstract

Dried fruits are an excellent alternative to unhealthy snacks. Twelve commercially available dried fruits were selected: dates, raisins, prunes, Goji berry, chokeberry, rose hip, sea buckthorn, berberis, physalis, haritaki, noni and juniper. The nutritional value in terms of moisture, ash, protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, energy value, mineral composition, antioxidant activity and tannins was compared. It is a novelty in the literature in relation to the particular analytes (e.g., minerals, tannins) and/or fruits (e.g., berberis, noni, haritaki). Especially rich in protein were Goji berry (13.3%), sea buckthorn (9.3%), noni (8.9%) and physalis (8.0%); in fat − sea buckthorn (11.2%); in dietary fiber (4.4–53.0%) − most of analyzed products. High antioxidant capacity was noticed for haritaki, berberis, rose hip, Goji berry, and physalis. An important source of minerals was 100 g of: noni (345 mg of Ca; 251 mg of Mg), rose hip (844 mg of Ca; 207 mg of Mg), juniper (564 mg of Ca), sea buckthorn (58 mg of Fe), berberis (24 mg of Fe) and haritaki (14 mg of Fe). The nutritionally attractive dried fruits have the potential for wider application in food formulations.

Evaluation of Biochemical Properties, Antioxidant Activities and Phenolic Content of Two Wild-Grown Berberis Fruits: Berberis nummularia and Berberis atrocarpa

“…Dietary fiber is an essential aspect of good nutrition. The fiber content measured up to 16% for both B. nummularia and B. atrocarpa , which is in line with previous reports of other berberis fruit [ 27 ]. Researchers suggest consumption of the dried-fruit, which are rich in dietary fiber, is beneficial for weight control and reducing blood glucose [ 28 ] due to increased satiety and intestinal regulation [ 29 ].…”

“…B. atrocarpa fruit has low levels (10 ± 0.3 mg/100 g) of iron (Fe) and Cu (1 ± 0.0 mg/100 g) content, but not present in B. nummularia . Noticeably, the content of Na in B. nummularia was significantly higher than in B. atrocarpa and other berberis [ 2 , 27 ]. This is related to the growing conditions of this species.…”

“…However, the total phenolic content of B. atrocarpa is more than most of the studies reported previously. Rybicka et al (2021) [ 27 ] showed that the total phenolic content of Goji, Chokeberry, Physalis and Juniper were less than 30.12 mg GAE/g. Okatan and Çolak (2018) [ 40 ] obtained the total phenol contents between 11.98 and 26.17 mg GA/g FW in sixteen barberry genotypes in Turkey.…”

“…Zovko et al (2010) [ 44 ] reported TFC of berberis ranging from 0.12 to 4.23 mg/g. Rybicka et al (2021) [ 27 ] also reported Chokeberry and Juniper with total phenolic contents of 7.75 mg/g and 3.23 mg/g DW. However, they measured 13.25 mg/g DW in Physalis, which was higher than the results of our study.…”

Health Benefits and Applications of Goji Berries in Functional Food Products Development: A Review

“…Furthermore, the advanced freeze-drying technique contributes to preserving goji berries´ bioactive compounds (phenolic acids, vitamin C, monoterpenes, and carotenoids) and nutrients. This results in high-quality, dried goji snacks which are light, crunchy, with original taste, preserved texture, and a healthy alternative to sweet snacks [ 124 , 127 , 128 ]. In addition, Song et al (2018) reported that the application of advanced freeze-dried with instant controlled pressure drop drying for the dehydration of goji berries resulted in excellent crispness and texture, as well as high contents of total polysaccharides (139.8 g/kg) and carotenoids (2.43 g/kg) in dried products [ 121 ].…”