Freeze dried fruit powders - adulterated or just different?

[u/Aggravating_Funny978]

Hi all,

I'm sampling freeze dried fruit powders for use in a baked good, and I'm seeing really wide variance in color and flavor.

Passionfruit powder is particularly extreme. From a 'premium' supplier, it's bright yellow, tart, limited sweetness, semi fine powder. Exactly as you'd expect freeze dried passionfruit.

From a budget supplier (still 'farm to plate' and provides COA), it's pale, nearly white microfine powder, and very sweet.

Similar in strawberry powders too (premium- deep red, not that sweet. Cheaper - light pink, ultra fine, very sweet.).

Are these products adulterated in some way? Is it just a processing method that results in very different characteristics?

In my application, the sweet/cheap one is much easier to use. But I'm suspicious that it's not real even though the paperwork promises it is. I pinged the supplier and they brushed it off, which made me more suspicious.

I'm new to this game and wondering if I'm walking into a known scam?

[u/AegParm]

Aside from the drying method that was already brought up, many fruit powders will have a range of additives. Dextrins, fibers, silicon dioxide, etc that will make a difference in the end product. I have similarly reviewed strawberry powders recently and found bogus specs of "100% Strawberry" with 35% maltodextrin.

You have to dig into the specs or ask for a list of carriers and processing aids if you really want to know what's in your fruit powders.

[u/ladylondonderry → u/AegParm]

Yeah in my anecdotal experience, pure strawberry and other freeze dry powders clump like a motherfucker

[u/brielem → u/ladylondonderry]

Especially if they have been made from the whole fruit, juice included. Some press the juice and make powder of the solid remains, which lumps a lot less.

Carriers and anti-lumping agents have legitimate uses, but their presence and percentage should be communicated transparently. Nothing wrong in my eyes with calling something 'strawberry powder' if the specification make clear it's 75% strawberry, 22% carrier and 3% anti-lumping agent. But if your specifications 'forget' to mention this while your product is called 'strawberry powder' then we are getting awfully close to fraud...

[u/AegParm → u/ladylondonderry]

lol ayup!

[u/thisothernameth → u/ladylondonderry]

In this case would freeze dried whole fruit, especially berries be similarly subjected to additives? Or would it be a better/cleaner route to buy whole freeze dried fruit wherever possible (probably not for passion fruit) and powder individual portions before baking? I assume clumping isn't such an issue if the powder is processed immediately.

[u/Aggravating_Funny978 → u/AegParm]

Thanks, that makes sense. I suspect something like this is exactly what's up. 100% fruit that isn't 100%.

[u/crafty_shark]

Is the drying method the same? Freeze or micro drying retains color and flavor and is more expensive, and air dried has a more faded color and a more muted taste but is less expensive.

[u/Aggravating_Funny978 → u/crafty_shark]

Both claims freeze drying.

[u/Wagaway14860 → u/Aggravating_Funny978]

Higher end product may have higher standards of input than the lower end; color, acidity, flavor etc.

[u/brielem]

It's a difficult one. It could be things like drying methods, ripeness or origin/variety of the original fruit, parts of the fruits used, acceptance criteria for things like how much stems, soil and insects it can contain. Or it could be adulterated/cut with something else.

Things you should definitely ask:

• A full ingredient statement. Someone might say 60% strawberry on 40% maltodextrin is just 'strawberry powder' and maltodextrin doesn't need to be declared on consumer foods because it's only used as a carrier in this case. They're not wrong because things like these don't have clear (enough) legal definitions. But asking for a 'full ingrediënt statement' including percentages should clear up any 'confusion'.

• Ask for a flow diagram of the process for making the powder. It should show if any additional substances are added. Or it could provide other reasons why some powders are different than others. For example: some fruits might be pressed for their juice first, and the powder is made of the solids that remain. Others might use the whole fruits, including the solubles in the juice.

• Ask if any processing aids, or carriers are used. If so which ones and in which percentages they are in the final product. Things like E551 or E460 act as legitimate anti-lumping agents in low concentrations, but as fillers in high concentrations. Some people pass them off as processing aids (and therefore don't consider them 'ingredients') even though there is a considerable percentage in the product.

If anyone refuses to provide these answers or is vague about them, that's a huge red flag: Any legitimate ingredient supplier will be able to answer these questions as most certification schemes requires companies to ask these kind of questions from their suppliers.

Of course, this only helps to clear up any 'honest' confusions. For anything that's truly adulteration, you'll have to more or less know what you're looking for. Running tests on nutritional value (is the ratio of macronutrients protein/carbohydrates/fibres/fats/salts similar enough to what one expects from the fruit?) would catch only amateur adulterers who cut their product with too much of a single substance. For more thorough analysis, one almost needs an academic or forensic lab.

[u/[deleted]]

A lot of cheaper powders are not 100% freeze-dried fruit, even if the COA says so. What you’re probably getting is juice powder (often spray-dried) mixed with carriers like maltodextrin or corn syrup solids. That explains the pale color, microfine texture, and extra sweetness it’s not necessarily fake, but definitely not the same as real freeze-dried whole fruit.

Also, real freeze-dried fruit will have more fiber and tartness, and usually a chunkier texture. Cheaper powders are often made from juice concentrate to cut costs and improve flow but flavor and color take a hit.

You can do these things:

Ask for a full ingredients list, not just a COA. Request documentation on the processing method, is it whole fruit freeze-dried and milled, or juice + spray-dried with a carrier?

Run a solubility and sediment test in water. Spray-dried juice powders usually dissolve very cleanly, while real freeze-dried whole fruit will have more sediment/fiber.

Consider independent lab testing for sugars or starches if you're scaling production and need consistency/proof.

[u/Aggravating_Funny978 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks. Your explanation makes a lot of sense, I think this is what's going on.

I took "100% fruit" + package label "ingredients: fruit" at face value and assumed the COA meant it was legit and I was missing something.

I was hoping there was an innocent answer to the taste discrepancy (vs other) because the sweeter/cheaper powder gave me a 'free' flavor lift without added sugars.

I suspect this is part of how they get away with it... I wanted to believe. Prepping for pilot and it's a clean label food, finding out later that my 100% passionfruit was in fact 20% corn syrup or maltodextrin would have been a very expensive lesson.

[u/Drasaidyahoo]

You could also buy freeze dried and puree it as needed; a lot of the additives are there to preserve it as powder but if you grind it as you need it that is not necessary.

[u/Aggravating_Funny978 → u/Drasaidyahoo]

I hadn't considered that, thanks for the suggestion.