What is the difference between dehydrated and freeze dried fruit?
Dehydrated fruit is dried with warm air, so the water evaporates and the fruit shrinks into dense, chewy pieces. Freeze dried fruit is frozen first, then dried under vacuum so the ice turns straight to vapour; it keeps more of its shape and is light and crisp, but takes four to ten times the energy (Bhatta and others, 2020).
| Feature | Dehydrated (hot air dried) | Freeze dried |
|---|---|---|
| How the water comes out | Evaporated by warm air | Frozen, then turned straight from ice to vapour under vacuum |
| Temperature | Warm air | Low temperatures, which protect heat-sensitive compounds |
| Shape | Shrinks more as it dries | Keeps more of its shape |
| Texture | Dense and chewy | Light, crisp and porous |
| Drying time | Shorter | Long |
| Energy | Lower | Four to ten times that of hot air drying |
| Cost to produce | Lower | The most expensive way to make a dehydrated product |
From Bhatta, Stevanovic Janezic and Ratti (2020) and Ratti (2001); see the sources at the end of this guide.
What's the difference between freeze drying and dehydrating?
Ordinary dehydrating, or hot air drying, passes warm air over the fruit so that its water evaporates. As the water leaves as liquid, the fruit shrinks and becomes denser; in one study of carrots, hot air drying shrank them by about 36 per cent against about 21 per cent for freeze drying (Bhatta and others, 2020).
Freeze drying works in three stages. The fruit is frozen; then, under vacuum, the ice turns straight to vapour without melting (sublimation); finally the water still bound in the fruit is removed. Because the water leaves as ice, the solid structure and the shape of the fruit are protected, and the low temperatures spare heat-sensitive compounds (Bhatta and others, 2020).
Is freeze dried fruit better than dehydrated?
Not for every product. Freeze drying comes closest to the fresh fruit's shape and colour, while hot air drying, in Ratti's review, leaves a product whose quality is reduced from that of the original food (Ratti, 2001).
But freeze dried fruit costs far more to make, and its light, crisp texture suits some products and not others. Dehydrated fruit is dense and chewy, which is what many snack packs, trail mixes, cereal bars, bakery and confectionery recipes call for. Choose by the texture your product needs and the cost it can carry.
Which costs more to produce?
Freeze drying, by a wide margin. It uses four to ten times the energy of regular hot air drying and the drying itself takes a long time; it has always been recognised as the most expensive way to make a dehydrated product (Bhatta and others, 2020). So the choice usually comes down to whether a product needs the freeze dried texture enough to pay for it.
Which keeps longer?
Neither method sets the shelf life on its own. It depends on how much water is left in the fruit, how it is packed and how it is stored. Freeze dried fruit is very dry but porous, and fruit sugars readily draw in moisture (Bhatta and others, 2020), so it needs moisture-proof packing and loses its crispness once it is open to the air.
When you compare offers, ask each supplier for the moisture target, the packing and the shelf life of the product. Then check them on a sample.
Dehydrated fruit and vegetables from Sri Lanka
Harvest Gate is an agricultural exporter based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Its dehydrated range covers dehydrated mango, jackfruit, pineapple, papaya and banana, young jackfruit (polos), mixed vegetable flakes, bitter gourd and okra slices and moringa leaf powder, for importers, snack makers and food processors. Request samples to see and taste them before you order.
Buyer questions
Questions buyers ask about dried fruit
What importers and food processors ask when choosing between dehydrated and freeze dried fruit. Not answered here? Send the question with your sample request.
Request samples01Is freeze drying the same as dehydrating?
Freeze drying is one kind of dehydrating. Both take the water out of the food. Freeze drying freezes the food and turns the ice straight to vapour under vacuum; ordinary dehydrating evaporates the water with warm air (Bhatta and others, 2020).
02Why is freeze dried fruit so light?
Nearly all its water has gone, and because the water leaves as ice rather than liquid, the fruit keeps its shape. What is left is a dry, porous structure that weighs very little for its size (Bhatta and others, 2020).
03What is dehydrated fruit used for?
Food processors use dried fruit in snack packs, trail mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal bars, bakery and confectionery. Importers sell it on to wholesalers and grocers.
04Can I get samples of dried fruit from Sri Lanka?
Yes. Request samples with your delivery address and the fruit you are interested in, so you can check the texture and the flavour before your first order.
Sources
- Bhatta S, Stevanovic Janezic T and Ratti C: Freeze-Drying of Plant-Based Foods, Foods, volume 9, issue 1, article 87 (2020).
- Ratti C: Hot air and freeze-drying of high-value foods: a review, Journal of Food Engineering, volume 49, issue 4, pages 311 to 319 (2001).
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