Dried mangoes are a popular snack made through dehydration, which can be done through commercial dehydrators or traditional sun-drying methods. They are often sweetened and used in baking or as a topping for ice cream. Freeze-drying is another method that yields perfectly preserved fruit. Dried mangoes are considered a non-processed food.
Mango fruits or fruit pieces that have been dehydrated are called dried mangoes. There are different ways this dehydration occurs and different reasons as well. Most often, mangoes are dried as a means of preservation. The dried slices or slices are generally non-perishable and can be enjoyed as a snack long after fresh mangoes have gone out of season.
Nuts such as mangoes are commonly eaten on their own, but can also be used in baking, as an addition to cereals or salads, or as a topping for ice cream. Trail mixes and granola can also feature dry snacks like mango. Mango is usually an inexpensive way to add a taste of the tropics to a variety of dishes.
There are two main styles of dried mango and three primary dehydration techniques. As for the fruit, it’s usually raw or sweetened. Sugar or other fruit juices have been added to sweetened dried mangoes to improve their taste and often also to help the fruits retain their color during drying.
Most of the time, dried mangoes are made with commercial dehydrators. These are pressure chambers in which temperature and relative humidity are strictly controlled. When fresh mango slices are placed in this type of environment, the water in them slowly evaporates and is absorbed into the chamber. The result is a pliable, dried mango ready for packaging.
Commercial dehydration is generally considered an innovation on traditional drying methods, which often involve little more than the sun. Mangoes are tropical fruits that grow naturally in the hot climates of Southeast Asia. They also grow well in parts of South America and Australia. Originally, farmers in mango-rich communities preserved the fruit by drying thin slices on wooden planks facing the sun. This method is still used in some parts of the world, although larger operations usually invest in industrial dryers, both for hygiene and efficiency.
Freeze drying will also yield dried mango. The freeze-drying process involves flash freezing mangoes in a pressurized vacuum chamber. Once the fruit’s water molecules freeze, they are sublimed, becoming vapor and leaving a perfectly preserved fruit without most of the wrinkled and warping characteristics of traditional dehydration. There is no need to continue freezing or refrigeration once the process is complete and the mangoes are ready for immediate sale, distribution or consumption as a non-perishable food.
A whole mango can usually be frozen. This is uncommon, however, mainly due to the mango’s large, oblong pit. Almost all dehydrated fruits are prepared as ready-to-eat snacks, which means the seeds and skins must be removed beforehand.
No matter how much the drying process is involved, dried mangoes are rarely considered processed foods. That term is usually reserved for foods that have a very high chemical component or that stay fresh without refrigeration solely because of additives. Dried foods like mangoes stay fresh on their own. Manufacturers often add sugar compounds or chemicals to help improve the appearance of dehydrated foods, but this is usually not considered processing.
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