"We have been producing Mollar de Elche pomegranates in San Juan de Alicante for more than 30 years. We came to terms with the fact that when marketing fresh produce, the fruit that could not be sold because it did not meet the market requirements ended up discarded or, at best, was sold to the juice industry at a fairly low price," said Daniel Ten, CEO of Integrana. "So in order to give a second chance to that fruit that didn't meet the marketing standards, we came up with the idea of freeze-drying it to turn it into snacks."
"Freeze-drying is a cold-drying technique that allows the fruit to retain its structure and preserve its most delicate molecules, such as vitamins and antioxidants, and therefore its properties, for up to 24 months."
"The problem with processed pomegranate products, which is also preventing a larger-scale marketing of pomegranate arils, is their limited shelf life. Our variety in Alicante, the Mollar, has a very low acidity, and acidity is what helps preserve the fruit. Processed apples, for example, are bathed in citric acid so they won't oxidize. That is why dehydration is a good alternative.
"With classic drying, the moisture is extracted from the fruit with heat, and with temperatures above 42 ºC, the vitamins are denatured and what you get is basically sugar and fiber; however, with freeze-drying we only work with maximum temperatures of 10-15 ºC, and the water extraction is produced by sublimation applying a vacuum, without damaging the cellular structure of the fruit or its components," said Daniel.
Integrana started using the freeze-drying process with pomegranates, but also began testing it with other agricultural products in which losses in marketing volume were happening because of aesthetic reasons, and with which it will expand its range of snacks. "We currently work with three products: Mollar pomegranates, Canary bananas and strawberries from Huelva, and before the end of the year we will launch five more: apples, mangoes, pineapples, peaches and raspberries, for our Líos de Fruta brand. This new line will feature 10 x 15 cm freeze-dried fruit sachets compatible with the vending format, and oriented to the healthy snacks segment. The idea if to offer consumers an alternative to chocolate bars and processed snacks."
"It is worth noting that while our goal was to add value to the Mollar de Elche pomegranate production under the seal of the PDO, which is what we produced, since we use a product that cannot be considered first class due to aesthetic reasons, our freeze-dried products cannot have the seal of the PDO. That is why it would be interesting for the regulatory council to reconsider the issue so that derivatives produced from second class fruit can also bear the seal of the designation of origin, especially when external appearance does not have any impact on the final product," says Daniel.
Integrana also has a freeze-drying service through which it makes its knowledge and technology available to all producers interested in adding value to their surplus productions or quality products that do not meet the aesthetic criteria for marketing. "In fact, on our website there is a section where producers can register in order to work with us," says Daniel Ten. "And in fact, the freeze-drying technique we have developed is not only for fruits; we have also managed to freeze-dry vegetables like broccoli, onions, corn or zucchini."
"As we saw at the latest edition of Anuga, more and more freeze-drying manufacturers are launching snacks, but we want to become a leader in Spain."
For more information:
Integrana
Calle Vidrio 3-5, nave 4
03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
Tel.: + 34 637 462 692
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.integrana.es