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Introduction
Fruit Leathers are made by drying a very thin layer of fruit puree to produce a product with a texture similar to soft leather. Fruit leathers are eaten as a snack and are often targeted at health food markets, using marketing images such as "pure", "sun dried" and "rich in vitamins". Such claims are not unreasonable given that low temperature drying is a gentle process that results in less loss of nutrients than, for example, canning in which up to 65% of minor nutrients can be destroyed. Losses of vitamin A and C are, however high, if the fruit is dried in direct sunlight.
Fruit leathers can be made from one type of fruit or blends of different fruits. They may be sweetened, by adding sugar or flavoured with chopped nuts, coconut or spices.
The preservation of fruit leathers depends on their low moisture content, typically 15 to 25%, the natural acidity of the fruit used and high sugar contents.
The products have a shelf life of up to 9 months provided they have been sufficiently dried and properly packaged.
Production of Fruit Leathers
This technical brief describes the production of fruit leathers at three scales; from a very small simple home based system, through cottage industry to small industrial production.
The following basic steps are involved at all levels of production:
selection and preparation of the fruit including intermediate preservation to allow production to continue out of season;
preparation of the puree batch;
preparation;
drying;
packing and storage.
Selection, preparation and intermediate storage
A high quality product can only be made from good quality raw materials and production should not, as too often happens, be based on second grade fruit that is not suitable for the fresh market. Fruit that has been rejected for being too large, too small or because of surface blemishes is, however, usually acceptable.
Fully ripe soft fruits are very susceptible to bruising when handled and bruised areas will quickly begin to rot. It is thus better to purchase semi-ripe fruit (which is...