Freeze-dried fruits are widely used as valuable ingredients and inclusions in various food applications due to their versatility, convenience, and retention of flavour and nutrients. Here are some key applications:

• Snack Foods: Freeze-dried fruits make nutritious and convenient snacks. They are lightweight, shelf-stable, and provide a crispy texture and intense fruit flavour once rehydrated or eaten as-is. Freeze-dried fruits like strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and apples are popular choices for snacking.
• Breakfast Cereals and Granolas: Freeze-dried fruits add a burst of natural flavour, colour, and texture to breakfast cereals, granola mixes and mueslis. They can be included as whole pieces, in slices, flakes or in powdered form, enhancing the taste and appearance of the final product. Due to the near instant rehydration, the freeze-dried fruit is rapidly reconstituted, making it easily palatable by the discerning consumer.
• Baked Goods and Desserts: Freeze-dried fruits can be crushed into powder and added to cakes, cookies, muffins, and frostings to infuse fruit flavours without adding excess moisture. They can also be added as whole or broken pieces for added texture and visual appeal in desserts such as ice cream, yoghurt, and mousse puddings.
• Trail Mixes and Snack Bars: Freeze-dried fruits are often included in trail mixes and snack bars for their natural sweetness, tanginess, and texture. They provide a concentrated burst of fruit flavour and contribute to the overall nutrient profile of these on-the-go snacks.
• Toppings and Decorations: Freeze-dried fruits can be crushed into small pieces or powder and used as toppings or decorations for cakes, cupcakes, pastries, and desserts. They add a vibrant and natural touch, along with a burst of fruit flavour.
• Chocolate and Confectionery: Freeze-dried fruit can be incorporated into chocolate and confectionery products through chocolate enrobing, panning, or simply added to a chocolate coating or filling, adding a burst of natural fruit flavour, texture, and visual appeal to any final product.

In addition to freeze-drying, air-drying, also known as dehydration, is another method used for preserving food by removing moisture. Air-drying (in the form of sun-drying or large-scale industrial oven drying with belt and tray dryers) has been practiced for centuries and is still widely used today. CARBOCRAFT supplies a full line of air-dried herbs, vegetables, and spices for all typical food applications, including sauces, snacks, soups, spice bottles and grinders, spice blends, spice batch packs and seasonings!