Apple is a deserved and popular fruit not only in Russia. And when we say "fruit puree", we almost always mean rubbed apples. Indeed, the lion's share of the puree we sell is apple or apple-based. First of all, the raw materials are washed and homogenized in special equipment-that is, they prepare a high-quality bloomer. At a gentle temperature of 85 ° C, apples are crushed under high pressure into particles of about 1 micron in size. The resulting mass has a gentle, uniform consistency and is not subsequently stratified. In hot form it is put in cans and sterilized. This, as mathematicians say, is necessary and sufficient to obtain an excellent puree of long-term storage. However, for various reasons, manufacturers also add other ingredients to the recipe and process operations into the process.
Pure apple mashed potatoes will be delicious only from very sweet varieties. But more often the fruit is non-sour, cheap (according to the principle of "grind and not throw away"). In this case, sugar or a sweetener is required, otherwise there will be sourness. For a variety of assortment, puree from apricots, plums, bananas, currants is introduced into the apple basis ... Usually not more than 15-20% of the total mass. In baby food, you can meet starch, rice flour or cereal, which act as natural thickeners, add puree puree. Even if the bank says: "Without dyes and preservatives", do not flatter yourself. Perhaps, lemon or ascorbic acid is called antioxidants, and the flavor, identical to natural, is also indicated in small print. Hypothetically, a product called mousse is an additionally whipped, foamed mashed potatoes. But sometimes this is just a successful advertising move - French producers like our words. Good fruit puree or mousse - a delicious, healthy, fully vegetable, low-calorie (in 100 g 56-80 kcal), often contains no sugar. Can be used in both children's and dietary nutrition: with diabetes, high cholesterol, losing weight. But a large, from a half-liter, a jar of apple puree not in every family is quickly eaten up to the end. The product will become moldy in five days, but it will become dangerous earlier. Therefore, it is better not to store the remainder, but immediately attach it to the business: add to fritters or other dishes.
Native expanses
It turns out that a high-quality, tasty and low-calorie puree, consisting of 100% of fruits, can not cost cheap. Especially if the label is a sign "bio" or "organic" - that is, no chemistry, everything in the rhythm of nature, all by hand ... But it is more often on imported products. As a rule, we have grown, it has grown ... And yet, let's start with domestic canned food: they are closer to the heart and nicer than the purse. So, the Astrakhan firm "Pikantha" produces a series of desserts "Puree from apples with ...". In cans with a capacity of 530 g, apples are juxtaposed with prunes, strawberries, pineapple, etc. Add: as well as with lemon and ascorbic acid and flavorings. The price is 60-80 rubles. Veliky Novgorod ("Rosonservprodukt") offers us a series of mousses called "From the Soul" in glass jars of 370 g. By the way, their "Mousse apple-apricot" received a bronze medal at the exhibition in the "Expocenter". The jar costs about 40 rubles, the composition is the same minus the flavors. Almost foreign Latvia (the company "Spilva") brought to us apple puree with additives from other fruits and even with cream. And also with flavors and all with the same citric acid. The cost of a 520-gram jar is 80 rubles. The price record for puree with a white label: 530 g cost only 46 rubles. Its full name is: "Apple dessert (from apples)." Even better, you will appreciate this joke, having studied the composition: apples dried, dried apricots, citric acid ... - further with all stops, including flavor.
One floor above
Imported purees are represented in our market by Danival and Bonneterre (France), Odenwald and Natreen (Germany), Delphi (Greece), and Clearspring (USA + Italy, Spain, France). There are others, but like all of the above, in fairly expensive stores. In terms of a kilo of puree "from there" is up to 820 rubles.! For this money the producer promises, for example, the following: "The ecological expertise is carried out in Western Europe". Or another "bow" - the usual sugar is replaced by cane (the taste is clearly thinner). Plus, on "high floors" no antioxidants are practically used. Large imported cans hold about 700 and 550 g puree, small - glass and foil-plastic -100-110 g. Combinations are different, the most exotic ingredients in addition to apples are pineapple or mango. You can buy a pure pear or pure banana puree, but the apple still prevails. In Europe, they also produce mousses. It is always well whipped, airy. Sometimes to reduce the caloric content - with cyclamate or saccharin. Doubtful advantage, but still delicious! Nevertheless, it is difficult to eat a large jar in one or two prisests, even with the awareness of its exclusivity.
Golden tube
The French firm Danival produces puree of the Poki Bio series - without sugar, in a soft single package with a screw cap, like a tube. The cost is up to 110 rubles for 90 g. In "golden" tubes to apple puree added up to 15% of strawberries, prunes, pears, bananas, etc. ... And the same inspiring inscription about the European eco-control. 90 g-good packaging, which is easy to "persuade" in one sitting. The taste is pleasant, rich, but on the other hand, an apple, even with raspberry notes, is an apple. The French "tube" bag of Rik & Rok, produced under the brand Ashan, costs about 20 rubles. Curious on the part of ecology, maybe there is, but well sealed with a paper patch with tiny unreadable Russian letters. Try - the same apple, the consistency of a thin sour cream, delicious, tender. True, the product contains sugar (4.5%), citric and sorbic acid. Thick fruit mashed potatoes Rich (Russia) are packed in a similar sachet, but more - 200 ml. The price is 35-45 rubles. Preservatives are not present, puree really dense, with addition of pectin and sugar. With an apple, cherries, raspberries, pears, strawberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, apricots with cereals or an orange with cereals are neighbors. So you can choose to taste both to yourself and the baby. Packaging is twice as large as that of French counterparts, in addition, the mashed potatoes are more satisfying and dense in consistency. Our adults accepted these fruit bags and appreciated them, and recently they also tried the novelty "Vegetable salad" - puree based on tomato. Packaging and price are the same. The taste is sharp, with spices. As some husbands say, the world snack. "Tubes" can solve the problem of snacking on the go. It is necessary at least sometimes to refuse from shawarma or a hamburger in favor of health. But the product is stored at a temperature of no higher than 3-6 °. According to dieticians, a closed tube can lie in a briefcase, not posing a health hazard, and 12-24 hours. But open it is desirable to eat immediately. In a word, you need to keep the question under control.
3 myths about purchased fruit purees
- Fresh fruit is much more useful. It depends on the season. After 2-4 months after harvesting, even with the correct storage regime, fruits lose virtually all vitamins. It remains only fiber, starch and digestible sugars - glucose, fructose, sucrose. So fresh domestic apples in December-January are clearly inferior to the nutrition of canned.
- In house mashed potatoes more vitamins. When cooking puree from fresh vegetables and fruits, most of the vitamins and nutrients simply disappear. Only special equipment (for example, homogenizer) allows to minimize heat treatment and as a result of loss.
- Preservatives are added to the factory canned food. Not at all. In the production of baby food flavors, spices, dyes and flavors, as a rule, are not used at all. As for the "adult" jars, you just need to read the composition.