Fruit, dried

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Usually shipped in cases or cartons.
Dried fruits may be subject to loss in weight due to loss of moisture content and from natural desiccation. They are readily damaged by moisture which may cause mould and mildew. Contact with water, humidity, sudden changes of temperature, heat or insufficient drying before shipment may cause fermentation, in which case the damaged portion should immediately be removed to avoid the remainder being affected. To minimize the loss the fruit should be dried promptly. Fruit so affected may sometimes be used for the extraction of alcohol. Care should be taken when attributing the damage to contact with water, as pressure and heat coupled with ther natural moisture content of the fruit can give the appearance of water damage. Care should also be taken not to attribute the cause of damage to salt water merely because a chemical gives a chloride reaction, as some sound fruits are likely to react to a test for chlorised to a small degree.
Dried fruits, if not properly sterilized before shipment, are prone to infestation, which is encouraged by heat. The formation of a brownish powder indicates internal insect development which may also give rise to heating and mould development.
Some dried fruits absorb moisture and this leads to the formation of mould, which is accelerated by heat.
Dried fruits will absorb odours and should be stowed away from any commodity likely to give off an odour. Certain fruits, e.g. dates, should not, unless absolutely necessary, be kept in cold storage, as they are liable to sweat and spoil their containers when removed.
Through age, the fruits shrink and lose their natural ‘bloom’. Dried fruits also become ‘sugared’ with age, and care should be taken not to confuse ‘sugaring’ through age with mould damage. If mouldy, fruits become inedible, whereas, if ‘sugares’ they may be reconditioned by dipping in boiling water and subsequently drying out. After reconditioning, the fruit must be disposed of with the least possible delay. Whenm packed in cartons, pressure from the piling of the packages on top of one another has a tendency to press in this fibre covering, brining about direct weight on the contents, and so squeezing out the juices or moisture, not only causing damage in appearance but also attracting weevil, etc.