Although the production of dried fruit is carried out at a higher speed and larger volume using industrial methods, it is also possible to dry any type of fruit at home with high quality using 3 simple methods.

Production of Dried Fruit at Home

Although the production of dried fruit is carried out at a higher speed and larger volume using industrial methods, it is also possible to dry any type of fruit at home with high quality using 3 simple methods. Due to the use of fully mechanized devices and a larger number of personnel, a larger volume of fruit is brought into the dried fruit manufacturing factory for drying. However, for family consumption, a certain amount of fruit can be dried at home using 3 methods and consumed throughout the year. The three methods of drying fruit at home are:

Drying Fruit in the Oven

Drying fruit with sunlight

Drying fruit with a fruit dehydrator

What is Dried Fruit?

Dried fruit (fruit chips) refers to fruit that loses all its water due to drying. Dried fruit chips are a rich source of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, as well as large amounts of natural sugars. Various fruits such as strawberries, apricots, plums, kiwis, mangoes, bananas, pears, persimmons, oranges, and tangerines can be chosen for drying.

Choosing the Right Fruit

Before starting the drying process, the appropriate fruit for drying must be selected. Therefore, to choose the right fruit for drying, you should pay attention to the following points:

Choose suitable fruits for drying:

Not all fruits can be dried, so you should select fruits that are suitable for drying. Seedless grape varieties, including black or green grapes, peaches, plums, apricots, bananas, apples, mangoes, figs, pears, etc.

Choose ripe fruits:

Select healthy and ripe fruits. Underripe fruits do not have formed sugars, and drying them is useless, just like underripe kiwis, which turn white instead of green after drying because their sugars have not formed. Overripe fruits also cannot be sliced, and if sliced, due to their higher water content, they may either dry out too much or burn during the drying process, losing all their minerals.

Preparing Fruits for Drying

After selecting the appropriate fruit, it is time to prepare the fruit, which includes the following steps:

Washing the fruits:

It is better to use cold water to wash the fruits and start by running your fingers over the fruit to remove any dirt. After all the dirt has been removed and the fruits are thoroughly washed, dry them with a towel. For small-sized fruits like berries or grapes, use a colander to drain any excess water.

Peeling the fruits (if necessary):

Some fruits like persimmons do not need peeling, but some fruits like bananas and kiwis require peeling. Peeling fruits like bananas or oranges is easy, but fruits like mangoes or kiwis should be peeled with a sharp knife.

Slicing the fruit:

Slicing, or in other words, cutting fruit is done for fruits like mangoes, bananas, strawberries, oranges, pineapples, peaches, apricots, plums, etc., such that each slice should be about 0.3 to 0.6 centimeters thick. However, you should ensure that all the fruits you dry and heat together have the same thickness. For items like grapes and berries, there is no need to slice them, but if there are seeds, the seeds should be removed.

Arranging on the tray:

The fruits should be arranged on the tray so that the slices do not touch each other, but make full use of the tray space to dry more. If you plan to use the oven or a fruit dehydrator for drying the fruit, you should first lay a piece of parchment paper on the tray and arrange the fruit slices on the paper. If you plan to use sunlight for drying the fruit, it is better to cover the tray with mesh to protect it from insects and dirt.

Homemade Methods for Drying Fruit

As mentioned, you can use 3 simple methods for drying fruit at home.

Drying Fruit in the Oven

Drying fruit in the oven is one of the homemade methods for drying fruit, and to ensure that all fruits dry evenly and do not retain moisture or dry out too much, certain points should be considered, which will be explained below. After selecting, washing, and arranging the fruit on the tray, follow these steps.

Place the tray in the oven:

Before placing the tray, first turn on the oven and set it to 50 degrees Celsius to preheat. After the oven has warmed up, place the tray inside.

Dry the fruits for 4 to 8 hours:

The time required to dry fruit in the oven depends on the type of fruit, the oven temperature, and the thickness of the fruit slices, averaging 4 to 8 hours. Every half hour or hour, you should turn the fruit slices to ensure both sides dry evenly. The oven temperature should not be increased or decreased. Continuously check the fruits to ensure they do not burn instead of drying.

Removing from the oven and storage conditions:

When the fruit has completely lost its moisture and has a rubbery texture but is easy to chew, it can be removed from the oven. After removing it from the oven, let it sit in the open air to cool down. Once it has cooled down, it should be immediately stored in airtight containers.

Drying Time for Fruit in the Oven

Naturally, the drying time for each fruit varies, so we will outline the drying times for different fruits in the oven:

Plums, pears, peaches, bananas, and apples: 6 hours

Grapes and citrus fruits: 8 to 10 hours

Cherries, strawberries, and apricots: 12 hours

Drying Fruit with Sunlight

One of the most traditional and common methods for drying fruit at home is using sunlight, which can also be considered one of the least expensive methods since it requires no devices and consumes no energy. Therefore, it is important to consider the following points.

Choose a warm day for drying fruit:

The minimum air temperature required for drying with sunlight is about 30 degrees Celsius, and the humidity should be 60 percent. You should be careful as some fruits may require several days of sunlight to dry, so this timeframe should be chosen carefully, ensuring that the weather is sunny for several consecutive days.

Place the fruits on a mesh tray:

You should use a stainless steel mesh tray with a Teflon coating for arranging the fruits, and after arranging, it is better to place a food-grade plastic mesh over the fruits to protect them from insects and birds.

Expose the tray to sunlight:

Use two bricks to elevate the tray and place it on them so that heat reaches the fruits from both above and below, increasing the drying speed. You can use a sheet of aluminum to reflect light under the mesh or tray. At night, move the fruit tray to a covered area because if it is left in the open air, moisture will return to the fruits.

Collecting and Storing the Fruits:

Make sure to turn the fruits on the tray or mesh at least twice a day so that both sides dry evenly. After a few days and ensuring that the fruits are dry, first take them out from under the sun for an hour, and when they have cooled down and you are sure they are dry, store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry place. After each use, the container lid should be tightly closed.

Drying Fruit with a Fruit Dehydrator

Nowadays, various non-industrial fruit dehydrators are available in the market, which can be used for drying fruit. The usage method is as follows.

Initial Settings:

First, you should set the fruit dehydrator to the fruit drying option. If you are using a device that does not have such an option, set the temperature to 75 degrees Celsius.

Time Required for Drying Fruit in the Dehydrator:

The fruit slices should be spread across different layers of the device. The time required for the fruit to dry may vary depending on the type and thickness of the fruit, but it usually takes 24 to 48 hours. Every 6 to 8 hours, you should turn the fruit slices over so that both sides dry evenly. The thickness of the fruits should be uniform to prevent some fruits from drying faster than others. It is also advisable to check the fruits every 12 hours to ensure they do not dry out too soon, and if they are dry, remove them from the device.

Collecting and Storing:

After drying, it is time to collect the fruits. First, remove the fruits from the device and let them sit for half to 1 hour in the environment to cool down. Then, store them in transparent airtight containers to prevent moisture absorption.

Dry Fruit Production at Home

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