Fruit and vegetable powders

Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, minerals and dietary fiber; however, they are climacteric and their shelf-life is very short after harvest. Uncontrolled browning, wilting and loss of nutritional value are typical of fresh fruits and vegetables even at ambient temperature and relative humidity. When converted into powder form they are easy to preserve, transport, store and use as ingredients. The greatly reduced water content and water activity help prolong the shelf-life of fruit and vegetable powders. The loss of important nutrients can also be minimized during the powder production process by judiciously selecting the drying methods and encapsulating shell materials.