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Candied or "candied" fruit is a type of long-life food that is part of the whole of the preserved fruit - similarly to canned fruit, dried fruit, fruit in alcohol, jam and jam, fruit jelly and so on.
The invention of candying is due to the need to prolong the preservation of fresh foods, excessively available in a limited period of time - that of maturation.
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The term candying comes from the Arabic "qandat", in turn deriving from the Sanskrit "khandakah". Evolved from conservation under honey or palm syrup - in use both in Mesopotamia, both in China but also in ancient Rome - it was perfected by the Arabs and disseminated on the European continent thanks to the commercial network - especially with Venice, around the tenth century, then with Genoa. We must not forget that already in the eighth century Muslims began to colonize the south of the peninsula, in particular Sicily - which they occupied for 200 years from the 8th to the 11th century. It is therefore reasonable to think that, despite the passage and occupation of many peoples, some traditions of Islamic Sicily definitely took root in the local culture.
From the nutritional point of view, fresh fruit - the sweet and acidulous one - belongs to the VI-VII fundamental group of foods - fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins A and C. Other notable features are: wealth of water, fiber, minerals - especially potassium - of various non-vitamin or mineral antioxidant substances - such as polyphenols, etc. Note : the amount of fructose, the prevailing energy macronutrient, is very variable from one fruit to another, but nevertheless denotes an altogether acceptable caloric level - to be clear, it is over 4 times lower than that of cooked pasta. Despite this, candied fruit has very little to do with fresh fruit; they dramatically increase soluble sugars and therefore calories, instead decreasing water, minerals, vitamins and other antioxidants, while the fibers do not undergo alterations. This gives it a very high glycemic-insulin load; it is therefore not very suitable for clinical nutrition, especially for overweight, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. Recall that an excess of sugar can also increase the formation of tooth decay; to improve preservation, in the industrial sector the candied fruit is enriched with antioxidant additives - especially vitamin C or ascorbic acid, like the many types of ascorbate, but also sulfur dioxide.
The candying can be obtained both with a home and industrial system. The homemade recipe of candied fruit is rather long but not at all complicated. The necessary steps to increase the shelf life are the preparation of the fruit - washing, peeling and cutting - immersion in the syrup and resting, and the continuous addition of sugar until the end of the chemical-physical transformation; to ensure its preservation, it is essential that the fruit is whipped completely. The process that determines candying is osmosis; due to the different concentration gradient, large quantities of simple carbohydrates are able to draw water out of the plant cells while penetrating at the same time - up to over 70% of the total volume, previously occupied mainly by water and minerals. The candying can be carried out both hot and cold; the latter is able to better preserve the aromatic components of fresh fruit.
Curiosity
In addition to dry, there is also an alternative method of preserving candied fruit. The most famous is the "saba" or "sapa", typically from Emilia-Romagna, which is based on maintaining the candied fruit in the cooked must.
In the kitchen, candied fruit is mainly used as a dessert or more elaborate dessert ingredient; the most famous Italian sweets containing candied fruit are: the Piedmontese panettone and the Sicilian cassata. For reasons of nutritional balance and possible long-term consumption sustainability, it is usually advisable to eat it away from main meals, in order to avoid too high a glycemic load. The candied fruit can therefore be more easily a snack or an ingredient for breakfast; many consume it dipped in yogurt or milk - even vegetable - together with cereals and dried fruit - or oil seeds - with honey and dark chocolate.
Candied Orange and Lemon Peel - Candied Fruit
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtubeNutritional Properties
Fresh fruit VS candied fruit: nutritional properties
Containing vitamin A (mainly retinol equivalents - RAE) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) the sweet and acidulous fresh fruit is framed in the VI and in the VII fundamental group of foods.
Raw and fresh, it has a moderate energy supply and an excellent percentage of water. Calories are provided mainly by soluble / simple sugars, or fructose monosaccharide; proteins - with a low biological value - and lipids are instead marginal. Contains a moderate level of dietary fiber. Moderate fructose concentrations and the presence of dietary fiber contribute to defining the glycemic-insulin index of medium-low entity fresh fruit.
Instead it is cholesterol free. No traces of lactose, gluten or histamine are detected. Purine and amino acid phenylalanine are scarce. The amount of minerals, especially potassium, is satisfactory. As anticipated, among the vitamins the levels of vitamin C and RAE, but also of folic acid are more than appreciable.
Candied fruit, on the other hand, has a much higher energy intake, about eight times higher than fresh and raw ingredients; this is because on the one hand it increases the level of carbohydrates at the expense of water. The added calories are however provided by soluble sugars - sucrose disaccharide, or glucose or fructose monosaccharides - used for processing. Proteins and lipids lose further relevance on global energy intake; the fiber remains more or less unchanged. However, cholesterol and lactose are absent; purines and phenylalanine appear in modest concentrations. With regard to histamine instead, it should be noted that, in principle, it is present at higher concentrations in preserved foods than in fresh ones. The mineral profile is inferior, due to the osmotic migration of the fluids outside the cells. The same applies to the concentration of vitamins and polyphenols which, moreover, are drastically reduced following the transformation - oxidative stress, heat treatment if present, etc .; however, it should be remembered that the level of vitamin C may increase following the industrial addition of antioxidant preservatives.
Diet
Candied fruit in the diet
The increase in glycemic load, total calories and glycemic-insulin index, make candied fruit a food unsuitable for diet against overweight, hyperglycemia or type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. It is also not recommended for people prone to tooth decay.
The fiber intake is discreet but the scarce amount of the advisable portion nullifies the impact on the diet. We remember however that the alimentary fibers are generally useful to decrease the glycemic index, to increase the sense of satiety and to modulate the intestinal absorption. They also have a beneficial effect on the intestine, improving alvo and preventing or treating a series of disorders and even serious pathologies: constipation, diverticulosis and diverticulitis, inflammation of hemorrhoids, anal fissures and anal prolapse; a high fiber diet reduces the incidence of some colon cancers.
Carotenoids, ascorbic acid and polyphenols, if active and not degraded by the processing and preservation of candied fruit, have a powerful antioxidant function. Retinol and the equivalents - of which they are precursors - are the basis of many physiological processes such as cell replication, maintenance of visual, reproductive function, etc. Vitamin C is a necessary factor for both collagen synthesis and the immune system. Folic acid, on the other hand, plays an indispensable role in the synthesis of nucleic acids, which is why it is essential in pregnancy. It is however necessary to consider that, after cooking and preservation, these vitamins undergo irreversible degradation. Note : the addition of antioxidant additives in commercial products compensates, at least in part, for the reduction of vitamin C.
Potassium, which as we have said is largely lost together with water, is an alkalizing mineral of which the body has a high daily requirement. This ion participates in the transmission of the neuromuscular action potential, which is why a possible deficiency almost inexorably leads to the onset of muscle cramps - more frequent with increasing sweating. The increase in potassium in the diet would also contribute to fighting the possible presence of primary hypertension.
It has no contraindications for celiac disease and lactose intolerance; it is to be avoided, in large portions, in the diet against histamine intolerance. It can be consumed in phenylketonuria but, due to the retention effect that fructose exerts on uric acid in the blood, it should be limited in considerable quantities in hyperuricemia. No contraindication for vegetarian, vegan and religious regimes.
However, it must be stressed that, despite the modest content of some useful nutrients, the excess sugar in candied fruit has a bad impact on the metabolism. Furthermore, the recommended portions are fairly small (20 g) and therefore would not significantly contribute to achieving the recommended daily intake of these nutrients. Therefore, candied fruit can not be considered a primary source of vitamins, polyphenols, minerals and dietary fiber.
recipe
Candied fruit recipe
Homemade recipe of candied fruit
- Wash, peel / pulp, peel and cut fruit or fruit rind; for candying whole fruits it is necessary to apply small holes with a needle - for beginners, it is advisable to start with small cubes
- Some use a light whitening (bleaching) in boiling syrup
- Place in a bowl - candying bowl - together with a saturated solution of water and sugar - to prepare on the fire, to optimize the liquid solution capacity
- Wait as required - the period of time, which varies from one day to one week, depends on the type of fruit and the size of the cut
- Extract the diluted syrup from the watery content of the fruit and dehydrate it on the fire by boiling - in technical jargon, reduce or shrink - and, if necessary, reinforce it with more sugar to the right concentration - see also the article: Fruits in Syrup - and leave cool down
- Pour it back into the container together with the fruit and wait again for the time necessary for the osmotic exchange.
- Repeat the whole process - called "giulebbatura" - until the fruit is properly candied; in practice, as long as the consistency remains stable
- The candied fruit can then be kept wet with syrup or coated with granulated sugar.
Industrial method for candied fruit
- Fruit preparation - washing, peeling, cleaning, cutting etc.
- Placement of fruit and a saturated syrup in candying autoclaves - hermetic containers kept at a lower than atmospheric pressure, to reduce the boiling point
- Heating at 55-60 ° C until the last consistency is reached. Note : industrial candied fruit, due to the considerable use of glucose - which does not crystallize even at high concentrations - are more gummy than those produced at home
- Addition of food additives such as: colorants, flavorings and preservatives such as ascorbates and sulfur dioxide.
