Dried Apricots
DRIED APRICOTS
Kuraga is one of two types of dried apricots, namely dried apricots with the pits removed beforehand. The second type of dried apricots is uruk – apricots (usually small-fruited sweet varieties) dried with the pits, most often simply on the tree in the sun (after drying, they are shaken off).
To obtain kuraga, apricot fruits (very often unripe) are cut lengthwise, the pits are removed, and then they are dried. For drying, special ovens are usually used, in which apricots are subjected to sulfurization – treatment with sulfur dioxide. Sulfurization is used to prevent spoilage, facilitate the drying process, and improve the quality of the raw material (prevents darkening of the raw material during drying). To do this, the apricots are placed in a fumigation room, where burning sulfur generates gaseous sulfur dioxide. Apricots are exposed to sulfur dioxide for about 8-12 hours. In addition, in some cases, apricots are also treated with solutions of water-soluble sulfite salts, such as potassium metabisulfite and sodium metabisulfite.
Sulfur dioxide, sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, and potassium metabisulfite are recognized in many countries (including Ukraine and Russia) as safe additives for use in food and medicinal products. Sulfur dioxide is a permitted food additive E220 (for more details, see Dried fruits). The maximum permissible content of sulfur dioxide in apricots is 2 mg per 1 g (0.2%). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the safe daily intake of sulfur dioxide in food for humans is 0.7 mg/kg of body weight.
The literature contains data that dried apricots produced in Turkey contain more than 0.3% sulfur dioxide. This is because Turkish dried apricots are harvested unripe and practically ripen during sulfur dioxide treatment, after 20 hours of exposure. Therefore, Turkish dried apricots have the same orange color and bitter taste. The technology for processing dried apricots in post-Soviet countries differs in that ripe apricots are used, which are fumigated with sulfur dioxide for 10 hours, so the content of the E220 additive in dried apricots from post-Soviet countries is significantly lower and is about 0.1% (1 mg per 1 g), and they also taste sweeter.
In some cases, dried apricots treated with sulfur dioxide can have negative health effects, including asthma attacks (symptoms of sulfur dioxide poisoning include a runny nose, cough, hoarseness, and a sore throat; at high concentrations – suffocation, speech disorder, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, and possible acute pulmonary edema).
Therefore, to protect your health, try to buy dried apricots and apricots that have been dried naturally in the sun and have not been sulfurized.
Unfortunately, there is very little data on the nutritional content of apricots, so we only provide data for dried apricots.
Dried apricots are high in beta-carotene (58.2% of the daily requirement per 100 g), alpha-tocopherol (26.6%), nicotinic acid (14.3%), and pantothenic acid (14.0%).
The mineral content in dried apricots is 3-5 times higher than in apricots. The mineral composition is dominated by boron (385.7%), chromium (159.0%), silicon (146.7%), vanadium (110.3%), cobalt (84.0%), nickel (80.0%), strontium (70.0%), potassium (42.9%), iron (28.9%), copper (27.0%), zirconium (22.4%), molybdenum (17.4%), rubidium (13.1%), manganese (11.4%), lithium (10.9%), and magnesium (10.4%).
Dried apricots are rich in phytosterols (61.8%), predominantly beta-sitosterol (77.5%); carbohydrates (16.2%), especially mono- and disaccharides (96.0%), among which glucose (330.8% of the daily norm per 100 g) and fructose (35.6%) predominate; fiber (29.2%) and pectin (34.0%); it contains small amounts of starch (up to 0.4 g per 100 g) and significant amounts of sucrose (7.89 g per 100 g).
The content of total purine bases in 100 g is 25.0% of the daily norm.
It should be noted that dried apricots can concentrate the toxic trace element strontium, containing 70.0% of the maximum daily requirement per 100 g.
Calories per 100 g: 241 kcal
Water per 100 g: 23.8-29.1 g
Ash per 100 g: 1.7-3.5 g
Water per 100 g: 23.8-29.1 g
Ash per 100 g: 1.7-3.5 g
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
Vitamins, macro- and microelements, nutrients per 100 g
VITAMINS
| Name | Content, mass fraction per 100 g of product | % of daily requirement | |
| in numbers | visually | ||
| Vitamin B1 (thiamine) | 0.015 | 0.9 |  |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.058-0.065 mg | 3.1 |  |
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) | 0.7 | 14 |  |
| Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.17 | 8.5 |  |
| Vitamin B9 (folic acid) | 14.0 | 3.5 | |
| Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 1.0 | 1.4 | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 3.04-4.95 mg | 26.6 |  |
| Beta-tocopherol | 0.1 | 0.7 | |
| Gamma-tocopherol | 0.1 | 0.7 | |
| Delta-tocopherol | 0 | 0 | |
| Vitamin D (ergocalciferol) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Vitamin PP (nicotinic acid) | 2.5-3.2 mg | 14.3 | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 3.1 | 2.6 | |
| Biotin | 1.0 | 2 | |
| Beta-carotene | 1270.0-4540.0 mcg | 58.2 |  |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 52.0-82.0 | 1.1 | |
| Lycopene | 200.0 | 4 | |
| Choline | 13.9 | 2.8 | |
| Methylmethionine sulfonium (vitamin U) | 0 | 0 | |
| Betaine | 0 | 0.0 | |
* Full jug – 100% of the daily requirement; empty – 0-1% of the daily requirement.
MINERAL ELEMENTS
Macroelements
| Name | Content, mass fraction per 100 g of product | % of daily requirement | |
| in numbers | Visually | ||
| Potassium | 983.0-1162.0 mg | 42.9 |  |
| Calcium | 38.3-89.6 mg | 5.8 | |
| Silicon | 44.0 mg | 146.7 |   |
| Magnesium | 35.0-48.2 mg | 10.4 | |
| Sodium | 19.8-23.0 mg | 1.6 | |
| Sulfur | 50 | 5 | |
| Phosphorus | 54.2-77.4 mg | 8.2 | |
| Chlorine | 3.0 | 0.1 | |
Trace elements
| Name | Content, mass fraction per 100 g of product | % of daily requirement | |
| in numbers | Visually | ||
| Aluminum | 860.0 | 2.3 | |
| Boron | 270.0 | 385.7 |  |
| Vanadium | 44.1 | 110.3 | |
| Iron | 2.66-6.0 mg | 28.9 | |
| Iodine | 3.4 | 2.3 | |
| Cobalt | 8.4 | 84 |  |
| Lithium | 10.9 | 10.9 | |
| Manganese | 173.0-282.0 μg | 11.4 | |
| Copper | 270.0 | 27 | |
| Molybdenum | 12.2 | 17.4 | |
| Nickel | 110.0-130.0 | 80 | |
| Rubidium | 13.1 | 13.1 | |
| Lead | 0.45 | 4.5 | |
| Selenium | 2.2 | 3.4 | |
| Strontium | 500.0–620.0 μg | 70 |  |
| Thallium | 0.1 | 5.0 | |
| Fluorine | 53.2 | 1.3 | |
| Chromium | 59.0-100.0 μg | 159.0 | |
| Zinc | 200.0-390.0 μg | 2.5 | |
| Zirconium | 11.2 | 22.4 | |
PROTEINS AND AMINO ACIDS
| Name | Content, mass fraction per 100 g of product | % of daily value | |
| in numbers | visually | ||
| Total protein content | 2.6-3.5 g | 3.8 | |
| Essential amino acid content | 0.740-1.470 g | 5.1 | |
| Content of replaceable amino acids | 1.359-3.380 g | 4.2 | |
Essential amino acids
| Name of acid | Content, g per 100 g of product | % of daily requirement | |
| in numbers | Visually | ||
| Valine | 0.12 | 6.0 | |
| Histidine | 0.044-0.080 | 3 | |
| Isoleucine | 0.079-0.150 | 5.7 | |
| Leucine | 0.140-0.290 | 4.7 | |
| Lysine | 0.120-0.340 | 5.6 | |
| Methionine | 0.019-0.020 | 1.1 | |
| Threonine | 0.065-0.180 | 5.1 | |
| Tryptophan | 0.014-0.090 | 5.2 | |
| Phenylalanine | 0.079-0.200 | 4.7 | |
Non-essential amino acids
| Acid name | Content, g per 100 g of product | % of daily requirement | |
| in numbers | Visually | ||
| Alanine | 0.1 | 2.6 | |
| Arginine | 0.060-0.190 | 2 | |
| Aspartic acid | 0.580-1.120 | 7 | |
| Glycine | 0.070-0.150 | 3.1 | |
| Glutamic acid | 0.120-0.500 | 2.3 | |
| Proline | 0.290-0.770 | 11.8 | |
| Serine | 0.093-0.280 | 2.2 | |
| Tyrosine | 0.036-0.110 | 2.4 | |
| Cystine | 0.010-0.020 | 0.8 | |
FATS AND FATTY ACIDS
| Name | Content, mass fraction per 100 g of product | % of daily allowance | |
| in numbers | Visually | ||
| Total fat content | 0.51-0.62 g | 0.6 | |
| Unsaturated fatty acid content | 1.22-1.48 g | 3.3 | |
| Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid content | 0 | 0 | |
| Omega-6 unsaturated fatty acid content | 0.61-0.74 g | 6.8 | |
| Saturated fatty acid content | 0.14-0.17 g | 0.6 | |
Unsaturated fatty acids
| Acid name | Content, g per 100 g of product |
| Palmitoleic C 16:1 (omega-7) | 0 |
| Oleic C 18:1 (omega-9) | 0.610-0.740 g |
| Linoleic C 18:2 (omega-6) | 0.610-0.740 g |
| Linolenic C 18:3 (omega-3) | 0 |
| Stearidonic C 18:4 (omega-3) | 0 |
| Gadoleic C 20:1 (omega-11) | 0 |
| Arachidic C 20:4 (omega-6) | 0 |
| Eicosapentaenoic C 20:5 (omega-3) | 0 |
| Erucic acid C 22:1 (omega-9) | 0 |
| Clupanoid C 22:5 (omega-3) | 0 |
| Docosahexaenoic C 22:6 (omega-3) | 0 |
| Nervonova C 24:1 (omega-9) | 0 |
Saturated fatty acids
| Acid name | Content, g per 100 g of product |
| Myristic C 14:0 | 0 |
| Palmitic C 16:0 | 0.140-0.170 g |
| Stearic C 18:0 | 0 |
| Arachidic C 20:0 | 0 |
| Behenic C 22:0 | 0 |
| Lignoceric acid C 24:0 | 0 |
Sterols
| Name | Content, mass fraction per 100 g of product | % of daily allowance | |
| in numbers | Visually | ||
| Total phytosterols | 34.0 mg | 61.8 | |
| Campesterol | 1.0 mg | 1.8 | |
| Beta-sitosterol | 31.0 mg | 77.5 | |
| Stigmasterol | 1.0 | 2.9 | |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 | 0 | – |
CARBOHYDRATES
| Name | Content, mass fraction per 100 g of product | % of daily allowance | |
| in numbers | Visually | ||
| Total carbohydrate content | 51.0-62.64 g | 16.2 | |
| Mono- and disaccharides | 48.0 | 96.0 | |
| Glucose | 33.08 g | 330.8 | |
| Fructose | 12.47 | 35.6 | |
| Galactose | 0 | 0 | |
| Sucrose | 7.89 | – | – |
| Lactose | 0 | 0 | |
| Starch | 0.35-0.40 g | – | – |
| Maltose | 0 | – | – |
| Fiber | 7.3 | 29.2 | |
| Pectin | 1.3-2.1 g | 34 | |
PURINE BASES
| Name | Content, mass fraction per 100 g of product | % of daily requirement | |
| in numbers | Visually | ||
| Purine content | 32.0 mg | 25.0 | |
Units of measurement:
Piece: 8.1-10.2 g
Teaspoon: 250.0 g
Granulated glass: 200.0 g
Teaspoon: 7.0 g
Tablespoon: 20.0 g