bakingbuyer - October 2011 - 68

sweet (sweet) adj. goods (goo ds) adj.

New Benefits of Raisins
Internationally recognized health researchers presented their views at the recent 30th World Nut & Dried Fruit Congress, recommending that food policy makers consider dried fruits equivalent to fresh fruits in dietary recommendations around the world. The presentations recognize that traditional, no-sugar added dried fruits such as raisins, dried plums, figs, dates, apricots and apples should be included side by side with fresh fruit recommendations by global policy makers. Organized by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Foundation (INC) the 30th World Nut & Dried Fruit Congress brings together industry leaders and researchers in an international dried fruit round table. The round table highlighted the collaboration by thirteen scientists from the United States, Greece, Turkey, Japan, and the United Kingdom on the paper, titled Traditional Dried Fruits: Valuable Tools to Meet Dietary Recommendations for Fruit Intake, accessible at http://www.nutfruit.org/incprojects/driedfruits. Research presented at the Congress by Daniel D. Gallaher, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources –University of Minnesota; Andriana Kaliora, Ph.D., Lecturer in Foods and Human Nutrition, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics – Harokopio University; and, Gary Williamson, Ph.D., Professor of Functional Food, Procter Department of Food Science – University of Leeds, supports the paper’s statement that traditional dried fruits should be included with fresh fruits in dietary recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake around the world. “Dried fruits are great sources of total and soluble
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fiber in the diet,” said Gallaher. “Just as fresh fruit, they have low glycemic index values and can play an important role in preventing different aspects of metabolic diseases.” In addition to providing fiber, dried fruits rank among the top potassium sources in diets around the world, according to Arianna Carughi, Ph.D., C.N.S , Health and Nutrition Research Coordinator for the California Dried Fruit Coalition. Dried fruits also contain a range of increasingly important bioactive phenolic compounds, as well as specific vitamins and minerals, unique to each fruit. One of the common problems encountered with comparing dried foods on nutritional grounds is the common practice of equating on a weight for weight basis, for example, per 100 grams. Not surprisingly, since the weight of water is removed in drying, the sugar content of dried versus fresh fruits appears disproportionately high, contributing to the mixed messages about the sugar concentration of dried fruits. However, when portion size and water content are taken into account, the natural fruit sugars and calories become equal for fresh and dried fruits. Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables has been shown to lower the rates of obesity and chronic diseases. However, despite campaigns and educational efforts, a significant gap still remains between the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and the quantities actually consumed by populations around the world. Dried fruits are already included alongside fresh fruits in formal dietary recommendations for Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
http://www.nutfruit.org/inc
bakingbuyer - October 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bakingbuyer - October 2011
