Fruits and vegetables are not only delicious, but also rich in vitamins and elements needed by the human body, is the food for young and old alike. Fruit and vegetable products with high water content, easy to rot, at this stage of China’s fresh fruit and vegetable loss rate of fruit to 30%, vegetables up to 40% -50%, while the loss rate in developed countries is less than 7%; At present, China’s total fruit and vegetable products have ranked first in the world, but the processing volume is less than 10% of the total amount of the country.

Fruit and vegetable products have a strong seasonal and regional, harvest and listing period is short and concentrated, the formation of the obvious peak season and off-season; in addition to a large number of juicy, nutritious fruit and vegetable products such as timely sales, storage and processing, will be backlogged, dry shrinkage or even deterioration and decay, resulting in economic losses. At present, edible fruits are mainly fresh mainly, at the same time has been inherited the traditional processing methods, such as canned, dried fruit, juice, etc., it has been difficult to meet consumer demand and improve the efficiency, so there is an urgent need to develop new types of fruits and vegetables to meet the needs of the market.

In order to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year, they are made into a variety of fruit and vegetable products, currently in the world’s advanced countries has become a hot spot. Fresh fruits and vegetables directly processed into fruit and vegetable powder is a kind of processing method appeared in recent years, it is with its unique form of material existence with the needs of modern industrial progress and emerging, showing its unique advantages:
Fresh fruits and vegetables processed into fruit and vegetable powder, its moisture content is less than 6%, reducing the loss caused by decay, and its low water content to the extent that microorganisms can not be utilized, the enzyme activity contained in the inhibition of storage, transportation, packaging and other aspects of the cost can be greatly reduced; fruits and vegetables powder to raw materials is not demanding, especially for edible skin, nucleus can be utilized to broaden the scope of application of raw materials of fruits and vegetables; fruit and vegetables Powder has a convenient preservation and consumption, adjustable and nutritious features, it maintains the original nutritional flavor of fruits and vegetables, as well as fruit and vegetable skin and core nutrients, and does not add any additives and pigments, has been used as ingredients for processing of other foods, a good nutritional deep-processing products.

Fruit and vegetable powder development value and application

Fruit and vegetable powder can be applied to various areas of food processing, help to improve the nutrient content of the product, improve the color and flavor of the product and enrich the variety of products, etc., can be used for: pasta products, such as carrot powder added to the noodles processed into carrot noodles; puffed food, such as tomato powder as a puffed food seasoning; meat products, such as ham and sausage to add vegetable powder; dairy products, such as fruits and vegetables added to dairy products; fruits and vegetables added to milk products; powdered as a good nutritional deep-processing products, as a good nutritional deep-processing products, with any additives and pigments. Add to milk products; candy products, candy in the process of adding apple powder, grass per powder; baked products, such as cookies in the processing of adding onion powder, tomato powder and so on.

Fruit and vegetable powder to make beverages, does not affect the flavor of fresh fruits and vegetables; fruit powder by fermentation, blending, filtering process can be made into fruit wine, fruit vinegar.

Candy, confectionery, cookies, bread and many other foods can be added in the production process of a certain percentage of fruit and vegetable powder, can improve the nutritional structure of the products, but also to make the products in the color, aroma and taste better.

Fruit and vegetable powder contains pigments, pectin, tannins and other ingredients, some specific fruits and vegetables also contain medicinal ingredients, can be extracted through the biochemical pathway from the valuable by-products.

Fruit and vegetable juice is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals, after appropriate processing, adding cyclodextrin and other substances in fruit and vegetable juice of the vast majority of nutrients in the effective protection of the embedded, while some of the nutrients are strengthened, and then homogenized, vacuum freeze-drying to get nutritious fruit and vegetable powder.

Add fruit and vegetable powder in infant and elderly food, can supplement vitamins and dietary fiber, in order to balance the diet.

Fruit and vegetable powder processing methods

Fruit and vegetable powder production, generally fruit and vegetable raw materials are first dried and dehydrated, and then further crushed. Fruit and vegetable drying methods are mainly hot air drying and vacuum freeze drying, the latter due to drying in a frozen and vacuum state, the nutrients, color and flavor of fruits and vegetables are greatly preserved.

Fruit and vegetable powder can also be made by pulping, homogenization and then spray drying, but the raw material utilization rate of this process is low, the cost is high, the production is less used. Existing fruit and vegetable powder varieties are few, mainly pumpkin powder, tomato powder, garlic powder, onion powder, etc., but these powder particles are still too large, the use of inconvenience, and the temperature of the material when making powder is too high; destroys the nutrients, color and flavor of the product, and even produces a burnt taste.

Currently on the market a variety of fruit and vegetable powder is basically rough powder and spray drying powder. One is far from reaching the basic tissues of plant organisms – cellular level of crushing and fiber bundles of breakage, consumption of nutrients can not be effectively precipitated and absorbed; the second is the loss of nutrients in the processed fruit and vegetable powder is high, the color, aroma, taste differences, more waste residue. Traditional fruit and vegetable powder is not only less varieties, and large particles, the use of inconvenience, and powdering the material temperature is too high, destroying the product’s nutrients, color and flavor, and even produce burnt taste. Drying technology for fruit and vegetable powder processing are mainly hot air drying, spray drying, microwave freeze drying, vacuum freeze drying and ultra-micro-grinding technology.

Therefore, the processing of fruit and vegetable powder is moving towards the direction of ultra-micro pulverization. Fruit and vegetable drying and then after ultra-micro-grinding, particle size can reach micron level, due to the ultra-fine particles, with surface area and small size effect, its physicochemical properties will undergo huge changes, food ultra-micro-grinding technology is a new means of food processing industry, for the improvement of traditional processes, the development of new products will certainly bring a huge impetus.

Food and other microfabrication has a strong surface adsorption and affinity, so it has a very good solid flavor, dispersion and solubility, in order to facilitate the absorption and digestion. Fruits and vegetables after drying and then after ultra-fine crushing particles can reach micron size.

Due to the ultra-fine particles, with significant advantages: First, the dispersion of fruit and vegetable powder, water solubility, adsorption, affinity and other physical properties improved, more convenient to use; Second, the nutrients are more easily digested, better taste; Third, the use of dietary fibers in fruits and vegetables to achieve the full range of fruits and vegetables to use the fruit and vegetable skin and core together with ultra-fine powdered and crushed, can be formulated and deeply processed into a variety of functional foods, the development of new ingredients. Improved resource utilization, in line with today’s food processing industry, “high efficiency, high quality, environmental protection,” the direction of development.

Fruit and vegetable powder processing status quo

1. Foreign fruit and vegetable powder processing status quo
Developed countries attach great importance to the fruit and vegetable processing industry, its processing technology and equipment is becoming increasingly high-tech, industrialization, rationalization of resource utilization, product standards system and quality control system is more perfect. Fruit and vegetable powder as an important form of processing fruits and vegetables, in foreign countries has been a great development.

At present, the international advanced fruit and vegetable powder processing is moving towards the direction of low temperature and ultra-micro-grinding, and make full use of fruit and vegetable roots, stems, leaves, skins, cores, etc., to achieve the full utilization of fruits and vegetables and no skin and dregs of the production; but also so that the dispersion of fruits and vegetables powder, water solubility, adsorption, affinity, and other physical properties to improve the use of more convenient; nutrients are more easily digested and absorbed, a better taste; very good use of the Dietary fiber in fruits and vegetables. It can be said that fruit and vegetable powder is a good way of fruit and vegetable processing.

2. Domestic processing status of fruit and vegetable powder

Since the reform and opening up, especially since the “Ninth Five-Year Plan”, China’s fruit and vegetable storage, transportation, preservation and processing technology has greatly improved the overall level of fruit and vegetable processing industry is developing rapidly, the initial processing problem has been basically solved, the market supply is abundant, to meet the consumption of urban and rural residents has played a positive role.

At present, China’s total fruit storage accounted for more than 25% of the total output, commercialization of about 10%, fruit processing capacity of about 6%, vegetable processing capacity of about 10%. Fruit and vegetable post-harvest loss rate down to 25% ~ 30%, the basic realization of the bulk fruit and vegetable commodities of the north-south transportation and long-term supply. Fruit and vegetable juice and canned fruits and vegetables and other deep processing industry has also been a significant development, stepped into a new historical stage.
However, due to the late start of China’s fruit and vegetable processing industry, post-production loss of value-added engineering research and development, as well as industrialization of the development of a serious lag, so that the overall level of fruit and vegetable processing industry than the developed countries lagged behind for nearly 20 years, and lagging behind the development of their own industry needs. At present, China’s fruit and vegetable resource utilization rate is low, the level of processing technology and process equipment backward, rough processing products and low value-added problems, always restricting China’s fruit and vegetable processing industry and the overall development of agriculture.
Domestic production of fruit and vegetable powder has just started, fruit and vegetable powder processing enterprises production conditions are simple, has developed and produced very few varieties of fruit and vegetable powder, product roughness, inferior flavor, and fruit and vegetable powder particles are larger, the use of the impact on the taste. Most of the processing of fruit and vegetable powder is the use of hot air drying and crushing methods, powdering due to the high temperature of the material, destroying the nutrients, color and flavor of the product, and even produce burnt taste. In addition, part of the fruit and vegetable powder is spray drying and get, the process of low powder rate, making the price is high, market applications are limited.
China is a fruit and vegetable production of large countries, and fruit and vegetable powder as a good processing, value-added, can be exported to generate foreign exchange, there will be a lot of space for development.
With the increasing maturity of fruit and vegetable powder processing technology, fruit and vegetable powder can not only be used as a substitute for fresh fruits and vegetables in special environments to ensure the nutritional needs of the human body, but also to meet the daily life of people on the diversification of fruits and vegetables, high-grade and convenient requirements.
Fruit and vegetable powder processing in line with today’s food processing industry, “high efficiency, high quality, environmental protection” development requirements. Therefore, fruit and vegetable powder processing will be rapid development.