Sales and marketing manager of HPW Fresh And Dry Fruits Limited, Mr. Israel Ankrah has advised fruit processors to dry their fruits as a measure towards ensuring longer fruit life span.
Mr. Ankrah who made the call in an interview with Nana Ama Sarfo on the Food Safety, Nutrition and Hygiene segment on Rite FM explained that dried fruits have a longer life span compared to fresh fruits. He added that dried mango fruits for instance have a one year life span when dried and stored in a cold place.
He stressed that dried fruits last longer than frozen fruits and can be eaten anytime of the day as well as its use in mixing fruit cake, ice cream, toppings etc.
According to him, dried mango fruits do not contain a higher concentration of sugar, calories and carbohydrates compared to fresh mango, adding that the product remains a healthy snack that can provide one’s body with some of the vitamins it needs.
He also said that mango dried fruits help regulate metabolism and also fight against diseases and rich in vitamin C.
The Sales and marking Manager of HPW Fresh And Dry Fruits Limited who defined dried fruit as fruits that have passed through a heat process leading to the drying out of its water contents said though every fruit contains a high water content, the drying process drains all the water content from it.
He identified the various drying processes which he said are used to dry fruits.
“There are many processes in drying fruits which includes sun drying, dehydrators which involves boiling water and the vapor subsequently drying the fruits and the use of dryers where fire is used to dry the fruits to last longer,” Mr. Ankrah explained.
But as he explained further, the process doesn’t come without its attendant challenges.
“There are challenges we face when processing the dried mango fruits which are the fruit weevils which destroy the fruits. The weevils can be found inside the mango fruits and this is a major challenge for us,” he said.
This subsequently leads to losses especially when large numbers of the mango fruits are involved.
“We run at a loss when the fruits are many and find out that it has been infested and this means we cannot produce much,” he stressed.
He added that freezing the fruits changes the color and there is always the presence of microorganisms in fruits that contain water and which have also been exposed to the environment.
The Sales and Marketing Manager thus advised all processors to purchase equipment which can add value to and dry their fruits for exportation.
Source: Nana Ama Sarfo/amasarfo297@gmail.com/ritefmonline.org
