A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, [1] the word raisin is reserved for the dark-colored dried large grape, [2] with sultana being a golden-colored dried grape, and currant being a dried small Black Corinth seedless grape. [3]
The word "raisin" dates back to Middle English and is a loanword from Old French; in modern French, raisin means "grape", while a dried grape is a raisin sec, or "dry grape". The Old French word, in turn, developed from the Latin word racemus , "a bunch of grapes." [3]
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Raisin varieties depend on the type of grape and appear in a variety of sizes and colors including green, black, brown, purple, blue, and yellow. Seedless varieties include the sultana (the common American type is known as Thompson Seedless in the United States), the Zante currants (black Corinthian raisins, Vitis vinifera L. var. Apyrena) [3] and Flame grapes. Raisins are traditionally sun-dried, but may also be artificially dehydrated.
"Golden raisins" are generally dried in dehydrators with controlled temperature and humidity, which allows them to retain a lighter color and more moisture. They are often treated with sulfur dioxide after drying.
Black Corinth or Zante currants are small, sometimes seedless raisins that are much darker and have a tart, tangy flavor. They are usually called currants. [3] Muscat raisins are large compared to other varieties, and also sweeter.
Grapes used to produce raisins in the Middle East and Asia include the large black monukka (or manucca) grapes that produce large raisins. [4]
Raisins are produced commercially by drying harvested grape berries. For a grape berry to dry, water inside the grape must be removed completely from the interior of the cells onto the surface of the grape where the water droplets can evaporate. [5] However, this diffusion process is very difficult because the grape skin contains wax in its cuticle, which prevents the water from passing through. [5] In addition to this, the physical and chemical mechanisms located on the outer layers of the grape are adapted to prevent water loss. [6] The three steps to commercial raisin production include pre-treatment, drying, and post-drying processes. [5]
Pre-treatment is a necessary step in raisin production to ensure the increased rate of water removal during the drying process. [5] A faster water removal rate decreases the rate of browning and helps to produce more desirable raisins. [5] The historical method of completing this process was developed in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor areas by using a dry emulsion cold dip made of potassium carbonate and ethyl esters of fatty acids. [6] This dip was shown to increase the rate of water loss by two- to three-fold. [6]
Recently, new methods have been developed such as exposing the grapes to oil emulsions or dilute alkaline solutions. These methods can encourage water transfer to the outer surface of grapes which helps to increase the efficiency of the drying process. [5]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 299 kcal (1,250 kJ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
79.3 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sugars | 65.2 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 4.5 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
0.25 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3.3 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water | 15.5 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [7] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The three types of drying methods are: sun drying, shade drying, and mechanical drying. [5] Sun drying is an inexpensive process; however, environmental contamination, insect infections, and microbial deterioration can occur and the resulting raisins are often of low quality. Additionally, sun drying is a slow process and may not produce the most desirable raisins. [5]
Mechanical drying can be done in a safer and more controlled environment where rapid drying is guaranteed. One type of mechanical drying is to use microwave drying. Water molecules in the grapes absorb microwave energy resulting in rapid evaporation. Microwave drying produces puffed raisins. [5]
After the drying process is complete, raisins are sent to processing plants where they are cleaned with water to remove any foreign objects that may have become embedded during the drying process. [5] Stems and off-grade raisins are also removed. The washing process may cause rehydration, so another drying step is completed after washing to ensure that the added moisture has been removed. [5]
All steps in the production of raisins are very important in determining the quality of raisins. Sometimes sulfur dioxide is applied to raisins after the pre-treatment step and before drying to decrease the rate of browning caused by the reaction between polyphenol oxidase and phenolic compounds. Sulfur dioxide also helps to preserve flavor and prevent the loss of certain vitamins during the drying process. [6]
Global production of raisins in 2020–21 was 1.2 million tonnes, led by Turkey, the United States, Iran, and India as the largest producers. [9]
Raisins are composed of 15% water, 79% carbohydrates (including 4% fiber), and 3% protein, and contain negligible fat. In a reference amount of 100 grams (3.5 oz), raisins supply 299 kilocalories and moderate amounts (10–19% DV) of the Daily Value for several dietary minerals, riboflavin, and vitamin B6.
Raisins can cause kidney failure in both cats and dogs. The cause of this is not known. [10]
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus Vitis. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the culinary sense are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, white currants, blackcurrants, and redcurrants. In Britain, soft fruit is a horticultural term for such fruits.
Molasses is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, the method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usually used to sweeten and flavour foods. Molasses is a major constituent of fine commercial brown sugar.
Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried. Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold through the removal of water. Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since ancient times; the earliest known practice is 12,000 B.C. by inhabitants of the modern Middle East and Asia regions. Water is traditionally removed through evaporation by using methods such as air drying, sun drying, smoking or wind drying, although today electric food dehydrators or freeze-drying can be used to speed the drying process and ensure more consistent results.
Zante currants, Corinth raisins, Corinthian raisins or outside the United States simply currants, are raisins of the small, sweet, seedless grape cultivar Black Corinth. The name comes from the Anglo-French phrase "raisins de Corinthe" and the Ionian island of Zakynthos (Zante), which was once the major producer and exporter. It is not related to black, red or white currants, which are berries of shrubs in the genus Ribes and not usually prepared in dried form.
Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption while fresh, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or for drying into raisins.
Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. There is evidence that suggests that the earliest wine production took place in Georgia and Iran around 6000 to 5000 B.C. The science of wine and winemaking is known as oenology. A winemaker may also be called a vintner. The growing of grapes is viticulture and there are many varieties of grapes.
Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia, and is prized because of its sweet taste, nutritive value, and long shelf life.
Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, with formula KC4H5O6, is a chemical compound with a number of uses. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid). In cooking, it is known as cream of tartar.
The sultana is a "white", oval seedless grape variety also called the sultanina, Thompson Seedless, Lady de Coverly (England), and oval-fruited Kishmish. It is also known as İzmir üzümü in Turkey since this variety has been extensively grown in the region around İzmir. It is assumed to originate from Asia Minor, which later became part of the Ottoman Empire.
Dried cranberries are made by partially dehydrating fresh cranberries, a process similar to making grapes into raisins. They are used in trail mix, salads, breads, with cereals, or eaten on their own. Dried cranberries may be marketed as craisins due to the similarity in appearance with raisins, although the word "Craisin" is a registered trademark of Ocean Spray. Craisins were introduced as part of a packaged cereal produced by Ralston Purina in 1989.
Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid. In the wine industry, grape juice that contains 7–23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds is often referred to as must. The sugars in grape juice allow it to be used as a sweetener, and fermented and made into wine, brandy, or vinegar.
Dried vine fruit is a term given to all the varieties of dried grape produced. The need for this term came from the fact that the United Kingdom is the only country in the European Union which differentiates dried vine fruit into different types. On mainland Europe, they are all simply called raisins, whereas in the UK they are differentiated into raisins, sultanas and currants. In this instance the term currant refers to the Zante currant, not the fruit of the Ribes genus.
Chunche is a Uyghur word that refers to a kind of building used to make raisins in Turpan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. The building has a dark interior, and the walls are covered with a large number of holes to allow wind to pass through and assist in the drying process through evaporation. Chunches are usually built in high, windy, areas due to the need for the wind.
The white currant or whitecurrant is a group of cultivars of the red currant, a species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae, native to Europe.
This glossary of winemaking terms lists some of terms and definitions involved in making wine, fruit wine, and mead.
Instant tea is a powdered mix in which water is added, in order to reconstitute it into a cup of tea. The earliest form of instant tea was developed in the United Kingdom in 1885. A patent was granted for a paste made of concentrated tea extract, sugar, and evaporated milk, which became tea when hot water was added. However, no notable developments were made until spray drying technology allowed for drying the tea concentrates at a temperature which did not damage the flavors of the product.
