Pears in Syrup by R.Borgacci

What are

What are canned pears?

Pears in syrup are long-keeping foods that belong to the whole of the preserved fruit and fruit in syrup subset.

Fresh pears - fruits of the tree belonging to the Pyrus botanical genus - belong to the VII fundamental group of foods - fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C. They also contain fructose - which gives a moderate energy supply - a lot of water and specific minerals, especially potassium. However, once transformed into "preserves" - washing, cutting, pitting, cooking and potting in a sweet liquid - the vitamin concentration tends to decrease significantly. Furthermore, compared to fresh ones, pears in syrup are much richer in soluble / simple sugars and calories. This gives you a high glycemic-insulin load; they are therefore not very suitable for clinical nutrition, especially for overweight, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. An excess of sugar can promote the formation of tooth decay. Note : in order to improve conservation, in the industrial sector the fruit in syrup is enriched with antioxidant additives - especially vitamin C or ascorbic acid, like the many types of ascorbate.

The recipe for syruped pears is quite simple. The steps required to increase shelf life are cooking and sterilizing; taking for granted a suitable heat treatment, the most important step - but also the most delicate - to obtain pears in syrup with perfect consistency - even in the long term - is certainly the formulation of the syrup.

Note: the pears can also be syruped whole - possibly with peel - but this is a much less used and widespread system, which is why we will later consider the private food of the bucca and cut it into pieces.

Why syrup pears?

The invention of syruping is due to the need to prolong the preservation of fresh fruits, excessively available in a limited period of time - that of maturation. From the pears you can also get excellent jams and compotes - however less common than those of apricot, peach, cherries, blackberries etc. - pieces of candied or dehydrated / dried fruit.

Pears harvested too ripe, perhaps bruised, marked by hail, mold or verminated - therefore unsuitable for the production of syrups - are mainly intended for the production of jams or compotes. Pears in syrup, in spirit, candied and dehydrated on the other hand, require more intact raw materials.

It should however be specified that the consumption of preserved fruit was more common in the past than in the present day. Moreover, not everyone knows that not all pear varieties lend themselves to syrup. It is advisable to prefer the "Max Red Bartlett" - or red William.

In the kitchen, pears in syrup are mainly used as a dessert, sometimes accompanied by whipped cream and / or liqueurs and / or chocolate flakes and / or biscuits - even crumbled. It is advisable to eat them away from the main meals, so as not to reach too high a glycemic load; they can be a snack or an ingredient for breakfast. Different recipes contain pears in syrup even though, generally, they are linked for excessive caloric intake and simple sugars compared to the needs of an ordinary diet; some examples are cakes - especially cold ones - such as cheesecakes - or various desserts - such as frozen desserts.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional properties of pears: fresh VS in syrup

Containing a lot of vitamin C - ascorbic acid - pears are framed in the VII fundamental group of foods.

Raw and fresh, they have a low 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 marginal. They contain an excellent amount of dietary fiber. Note : The presence of fructose - instead of glucose, sucrose or maltose - and fiber helps to define a medium-low entity glycemic-insulin index.

Instead, they are cholesterol free. No traces of lactose, gluten or histamine are detected - although it may be histamine-free. They have a low level of purines and phenylalanine amino acid. The amount of minerals, especially potassium, is satisfactory. As for vitamins, in addition to vitamin C, the dose of folic acid is more than satisfactory.

Pears in syrup, on the other hand, have a much higher energy intake, more than twice as much as fresh raw ingredients. The added calories are provided by sugar - sucrose disaccharide or monosaccharides glucose and fructose - used for syrup. Proteins and lipids have even less relevance than fresh fruits. Being peeled, pears in syrup contain much less dietary fiber; however, thanks to cooking, part of the remaining one undergoes a hydrolysis which makes it more digestible and available for the intestinal bacterial flora - prebiotic function. However, cholesterol and lactose are absent; similarly, 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 dilution in the governing liquid. The same applies to the vitamin concentration which, moreover, is drastically reduced following cooking and oxidative stress.

Diet

Pears in syrup in the diet

The increase in glycemic load, total calories and the glycemic-insulin index, make syruped pears an unsuitable food for the diet against overweight, hyperglycemia or type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. They are also not recommended for subjects predisposed to tooth decay.

The fiber intake is discreet and could help - despite the lower portion compared to fresh food - to satisfy the daily dietary intake. Dietary fibers are generally useful in decreasing the glycemic index, increasing the sense of satiety and modulating 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.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and is a necessary factor for both collagen synthesis and the immune system; folic acid, on the other hand, plays a necessary role in the synthesis of nucleic acids, which is why it is necessary in pregnancy. It is however necessary to consider that, with cooking, 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 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 also participates in combating the possible presence of primary hypertension.

However, it must be specified that, despite the content of some useful nutrients, the excess sugar in syruped pears has a very bad impact on the metabolism. Furthermore, the recommended portions are fairly small (50 g) and therefore do not contribute significantly to achieving the recommended daily intake of these nutrients. Pears in syrup cannot therefore be considered a primary source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

recipe

Recipe of pears in syrup

Below we will briefly summarize how to prepare pears in syrup simply and quickly.

Ingredients of pears in syrup

900 g of pears
300 g of granulated sugar
135-140 ml water
protective antioxidants (eg vitamin C).

Tools for preparing pears in syrup

Knife, cutting board, glass jars and lids, pots and lids, twists or cloths and pot holders, hob.

Process of syruped pears

Wash glass jars and lids
Sterilize them in boiling water inside a muffler or saucepan
Boil water in another pot
Wash the pears
Blanch the pears in the water for 30 "
Drain and cool them in ice water
Cut them in half, peel them and strip them
Dip the pears in the protector according to the instructions on the package
Put sugar and water in another saucepan; bring to a boil
Insert the pears into the jars and cover with the syrup by removing the air bubbles
Place the lids on the jars without tightening them
Put the jars back into the pot with the water for sterilizing the jars
Bring to a boil and keep for 25-30 '
Remove the jars from the hot water and tighten the lids
Cool and check the vacuum seal.

Frequent errors in the preparation of pears in syrup

Pears in syrup become swollen and soggy or small and hard with preservation

If the pears in syrup become swollen and soft it is certainly the fault of the syrup, in particular of its osmotic power - called "strength". If too concentrated, the syrup tends to dehydrate the fruit making it hard; if too diluted it pushes the water inside the plant tissues making them swell. The ideal strength of the syrup should be around 20 ° Baumé - proportion of the sugar in bulk - or 145-145 / S (S = specific mass of the sugar). It is an equation that varies according to the osmotic power of the pulp used; it changes from one fruit to another, but the diversity is relevant only by changing the Botanical species - for example by replacing the pears with grapes without peel. For more details, please read our article: Fruits in Syrup.