Find best Dry Apricots Suppliers for all your bulk order needs

Dry Apricots:

Dry Apricots are a type of traditional dried fruit that are cultivated in Central Asia since antiquity.

Some facts about Dry Apricots:

• The color is vivid orange when treated with sulfur dioxide (SO₂).
• Organic fruit  is darker in color and has a coarser texture that not treated with sulfur vapor.
• The SO2 content is higher when the color is lighter. 
• Dry Apricots can be transported over long distances due to their long shelf life.
• Generally small apricots are dried whole where as larger varieties of apricots are dried in halves, without the kernel or stone.
• Small apricots are used primarily for making kompots and the larger ones  as kuraga (курага).
• Typically, Mediterranean or Turkish varieties of dried apricots dried whole and then pitted.
• California varieties of dried apricots are halved and pitted before drying.
• Dried apricots are an important source of potassium and carotenoids (vitamin A).
• Dried apricots are sometimes used to relieve constipation or induce diarrhea due to their high fiber-to-volume ratio.
• Normally, they do not have any sugar added and have a low glycemic index.

Types of Dry Apricots:

Dried apricots mainly comes in two varieties, California and Turkish, which are obviously grown in different places, and are different in color, flavor, and preparation.

California Apricots vs Turkish Apricot:

• California apricots are less common.
• California apricot is a bit harder to find as the cultivation of apricots has declined drastically since the 1920s.
• Having dried apricots is an advantage over fresh apricots, as they are available and ready to eat round the year. 
• California Apricots have a darker orange color when compared to Turkish Apricot which are more yellow-orange.
• One of the other differences is that the Turkish apricot is dried whole without the pit, while the California apricot is halved. 
• The difference lies mostly in uniformity of texture as the California apricots are generally more curves, ripples, and shapes than the mostly uniform Turkish apricots.
• The Turkish Apricot variety has a slightly sweeter flavor than California Apricots.
• California apricots  look shrunken and are thinner as moisture is lost when they are halved
• Turkish apricots look thicker and more succulent as they are dries whole and moisture is not lost
• Turkish apricots which are more uniform in shape where as California apricots have more curves and folds.
• A more intense apricot flavour is there in California apricots.
• Although, Turkish apricots have a milder flavour but are still sweet and juicy
• Turkish apricots contain more calcium but have less beta carotene in terms of nutrition.

Preparation of Dr Apricots:

• Generally, apricots are dried with preservatives.
• Sulphur dioxide is the preservative that comes on most apricots which is used to preserve color and freshness.
• Apricots will start to lose their color and freshness more quickly once opened as most of this compound dissipates once the bag is left open for a few minutes.
• However, this is great if you have sensitivity.
• Apricots can be diced instead of whole which is a great option for people who are making baked goods or trail mixes where they want a small bit of apricot in every bite.