Scientists Have Identified the Best Healthy Fruit Snack

Ditch the gummies– Research from UMass Amherst exposes that dried fruit tops the chart for dietary worth.

Next time you’re loading lunch for your kid or grabbing a healthy afternoon bite, consider this: just 3 kinds of fruit treats– dried fruit, fruit puree, and canned fruit with juice– fulfill the most recent suggestions for high-nutrition treats set by federal dietary standards, according to research study by University of Massachusetts Amherst food researchers.

Of all the commercially offered fruit treats, specified by the USDA as “products made with fruit and fruit juices, which may or may not contain added sugar, artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives,” the UMass Amherst group discovered that dried fruit has the very best general dietary profile– the greatest nutrient density and fiber material, and the most affordable sugarcoated.

Evaluating Fruit Snacks

Conversely, fruit-flavored treats such as gummies have the most affordable nutrient density and fiber material and the greatest quantity of sugarcoated. Other fruit treat choices with low nutrient density consist of canned fruit crammed in something besides juice, and dried flavored fruit, both of which include greater quantities of sugarcoated. The food contrast research study, led by food researchers Amanda Kinchla, extension teacher, and Alissa Nolden, assistant teacher, was released just recently in the journal Nutrients

Amanda Kinchla is an extension teacher of food science at UMassAmherst Credit: UMass Amherst

While consuming a piece of fresh fruit is unquestionably the healthiest choice, 80% of the U.S. population does not take in the day-to-day quantity of fruit portions (5) advised by federal dietary standards. So, one method for customers to increase fruit in their diet plan is to pick nutrient-dense fruit treats.

“It’s not fresh fruit but the snacking products that people are more customarily consuming,” Kinchla states.

The scientists chose to examine which fruit treats are the most healthy– the very first time this kind of research study was carried out. They gathered and examined dietary material for 1,497 fruit treats, utilizing the Mintel Global New Products Database, accessed through UMassLibraries For their research study, the group specified fruit treats as “non-frozen, non-beverage food products mainly made with fruit ingredients.”

They utilized the Nutrient Rich Foods (NRF) Index, which computes a general nutrition quality rating based upon the nutrient profile of foods, to compare the healthfulness of fruit treats. This design thinks about nutrients that are preferable– protein, dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin D, calcium, iron– in addition to those that are advised to be restricted in the diet plan– hydrogenated fat, cholesterol, sugarcoated, and salt– to evaluate the general nutrition quality of each fruit treat.

“We were trying to connect the dots between all the nutrients, which is the advantage of the NRF – to be able to look at multiple nutrients at the same time,” Nolden states.

Study Findings and Recommendations

The group categorized the fruit treats into 9 various classifications: dried fruit, fruit-based bar, dried flavored fruit, canned fruit, fruit-flavored treat, fruit puree, fruit chips, formed fruit, and canned fruit with juice.

In addition, they looked not just at the dietary worth per serving size however likewise computed sugarcoated and fiber material based upon the FDA’s Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC) per consuming event to stabilize the serving irregularity amongst various fruit treat classifications.

Alissa Nolden is an assistant teacher of food science at UMassAmherst Credit: UMass Amherst

Their objective was to identify the healthfulness of fruit treats and see where enhancements might be made.

“With Alissa’s consumer insight and understanding of perceptions and sensory analysis, we can try to understand consumers’ acceptance and limitations and then design foods that would better cater to that, so that we can then bolster health and wellness platforms,” Kinchla states.

The paper concludes, “Reformulation of fruit treats is required … Formed fruit and fruit-based bars might be lower in sugarcoated to end up being a more healthy fruit treat choice. Canned fruit [with added sugar] and fruit-flavored treats require more reformulation, as they are low in nutrient density and fiber material and high in sugarcoated. Improving the dietary quality of fruit treats can assist in clever snacking options.

“Future instructions for the fruit treat classification need to think about reducing sugarcoated material, increasing fiber material, and improving sensory profile to enhance the general nutrient density.”

Reference: “Nutrient Density, Added Sugar, and Fiber Content of Commercially Available Fruit Snacks in the United States from 2017 to 2022” by Hao Fu, Chi Hyun Lee, Alissa A. Nolden and Amanda J. Kinchla, 17 January 2024, Nutrients
DOI: 10.3390/ nu16020292