Macedonia Sciroppata by R.Borgacci

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What is the fruit salad in syrup?

The fruit salad in syrup is a long-keeping food that belongs to the whole of the preserved fruit and fruit in syrup subset.

The fruit salad in syrup is composed of an assortment of fresh fruits. Among these the most common are: grapes, peach, apricots, apple, pear, cherries, melon and pineapple. The fruit belongs to the VI-VII fundamental group of foods, ie products rich in vitamins A and C. These foods have a moderate caloric intake, supplied mainly by fructose. Water is abundant and certain specific minerals are not lacking, especially potassium; the level of folic acid is also significant.

On the other hand, once transformed into "preserves" - washing, peeling, cutting, coring, pitting, cooking and filling into a soft liquid - the vitamin concentration of the fruit salad tends to decrease significantly. Moreover, compared to the fresh one, the fruit salad in syrup is much richer in soluble / simple sugars and calories. This gives it a high glycemic-insulin loading and index, characteristics that are poorly suited to the clinical nutrition of overweight, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. Recall that an excess of sugar can promote the formation of tooth decay. To improve conservation, in an industrial setting the syruped fruit salad is enriched with antioxidant additives - especially vitamin C (ascorbic acid), like the many types of ascorbate. Today these antioxidant "protectors" are also available at retail and are used more and more frequently even in home preserves.

The recipe for fruit salad in syrup is quite simple. The steps that determine the increase in conservation are cooking and sterilization in an airtight jar. Taking for granted the application of an adequate heat treatment, the most important step - but also the most delicate - to obtain a fruit salad in syrup with perfect consistency is certainly the formulation of the syrup.

In the kitchen, the fruit salad in syrup is mainly used as a dessert, sometimes accompanied by whipped cream, liqueurs, chocolate flakes, biscuits etc. It is advisable to eat it away from the main meals, so as to avoid an excessive increase in the glycemic load. It therefore constitutes an ingredient for breakfast or a valid alternative to secondary snacks. There are several recipes that contain fruit in syrup even though, in general, they all come together because of the excessive intake of calories and simple sugars; some examples are cakes, especially cold ones - such as cheesecake - or various desserts - such as frozen desserts or ice cream cups.

Why syrup the fruit salad?

The invention of the syrup is relatively recent; it has spread above all due to the improvement of sugar extraction techniques, which have reduced its price, making it affordable for all segments of the population. The syrup was born due to the need to prolong the preservation of fresh fruit. This need is linked to seasonality, that is to the availability of these fruits only for a limited period of time - that of maturation. It is no coincidence that the syrup is born in our latitudes, where there is a climate differentiated in four seasons and of which, usually, only one allows the fruiting of the plants. It is different in the equatorial belt, where many vegetables have a continuous or almost continuous fruiting cycle - for example the pineapple - and allow a non-stop harvest.

It should be specified, however, that the consumption of fruit salad in syrup, and of preserved fruit in general, was more widespread in recent decades than today. Today, in fact, thanks to the import-export, the best agricultural technologies, refrigeration and controlled atmosphere conservation - in spite of the seasonality - almost all fresh fruits are available for the whole year.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional properties of fruit salad: fresh VS in syrup

Nutritional properties of fresh fruit salad

Containing both fruits of the VI and of the VII fundamental group of foods, the fruit salad is rich in vitamin A (especially retinol equivalent - RAE) as much as vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Raw and fresh, the fruit salad has a moderate energy supply and an excellent percentage of water. Calories are provided mainly by soluble / simple sugars, or fructose monosaccharide; the quantity of proteins - with a low biological value - and of lipids are marginal. It also contains an excellent level 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.

The fresh fruit salad is cholesterol-free. No traces of lactose, gluten or histamine are detected - although some ingredients, such as pineapple and pear, can be histaminoliberators. It has a low level of purines and phenylalanine amino acid. The amount of minerals, especially potassium, is satisfactory. As already repeated, the levels of vitamin C, RAE and folic acid are appreciable.

Nutritional properties of the fruit salad in syrup

The fruit salad in syrup, on the other hand, has a much higher energy intake, almost double the amount of fresh raw ingredients. The caloric surplus is supplied by sugar - sucrose disaccharide, or monosaccharides glucose or fructose - used for syrup; proteins and lipids have even less relevance. The fruit salad in syrup contains less dietary fiber than the raw food, because the fruit is almost all peeled. On the other hand, thanks to cooking, the remaining one is partially hydrolysed and more digestible / 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 tends to increase in preserved foods compared to 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.

Note : the content of some nutrients is not shown in the table below.

Diet

Macedonia in syrup in the diet

The increase in glycemic load, total calories and the glycemic-insulin index, makes the fruit salad in syrup an unsuitable food for the 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 and could help meet the daily dietary intake. These nutritional factors 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.

Now we will describe the nutrient functions that should be present in a fruit cocktail; nevertheless, most of the minerals and vitamins remain diluted in the surrounding syrup and are not present inside the pulp. To be able to enjoy all the typical nutrients of the fruit salad it is therefore recommended - at the expense of caloric intake - to also consume the sweet liquid.

Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants and, in the body, they can act as retinol precursors - provitamine A; this vitamin is the basis of many physiological processes such as cell replication, maintenance of visual, reproductive function, etc. Vitamin C also plays the role of a powerful antioxidant and 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, with cooking, many vitamins - especially ascorbic acid and folic acid - 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 results in 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 the fruit salad in syrup has a bad impact on the metabolism. Furthermore, the recommended portions are fairly small (50 g) and therefore would not significantly contribute to achieving the recommended daily intake of these nutrients. The fruit salad in syrup cannot therefore be considered a primary source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

recipe

Recipe of the fruit salad in syrup

Below we will briefly summarize how to prepare the fruit salad in syrup in a simple and quick way.

Ingredients of the fruit salad in syrup

• 900 g of fruit / fresh fruit salad
• 300 g of granulated sugar
• 135-140 ml water
• protective antioxidants (for example ascorbates).

Tools to prepare the fruit salad in syrup

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

Process of fruit salad in syrup

• Wash glass jars and lids
• Sterilize them in boiling water inside a muffler or saucepan
• Boil water in another pot
• Wash and peel the fruit - except cherries and possibly grapes
• Remove the cores or stones and cut into slices or wedges or cubes - it is important that all the pieces are the same size
• Blanch them in water for 10-30 ", depending on the size of the pieces
• Drain and cool in ice water
• Immerse the fruit salad in the protector according to the instructions on the package
• Put sugar and water in another saucepan; bring to a boil
• Place the fruit salad in 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 the fruit salad in syrup

The canned fruit salad becomes swollen and soggy or small and hard with preservation

If the fruit salad becomes swollen and soggy or small and hard 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 using very different botanical species, or worse, leaving some whole fruits with peel and cut into pieces and without peel - for example peeled apricots and pieces and whole grapes with peel. For more details, please read our article: Fruits in Syrup.

The fruit salad in syrup is not kept and fermented

If the fruit salad in syrup is not kept and fermented, there may be two causes:

• Insufficient cooking or sterilization ineffective: it consists in applying temperatures that are too low or suitable but for an insufficient time
• Impairment of the hermetic seal: generally caused by a defect in the gasket or the shape of the cap.