Dried fruits serve as important healthful snack items around the
world. They provide a concentrated form of fresh fruits, prepared
by different drying techniques. With their unique combination of
taste/aroma, essential nutrients, fibre, and phytochemicals or
bioactive compounds, dried fruits are convenient for healthy eating
and can bridge the gap between recommended intake of fruits and
actual consumption. Dried fruits are nutritionally equivalent to
fresh fruits, in smaller serving sizes, in the current dietary
recommendations of various countries. Scientific evidence suggests
that individuals who regularly consume generous amounts of dried
fruits have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, various
types of cancer, type-2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Dried
fruits also have the advantage of being easy to store and
distribute, available around the year, readily incorporated into
other foods and recipes, and present a healthy alternative to salty
or sugary snacks.

Dried Fruits: Phytochemicals and Health Effects is
divided into three sections preceded by introductory chapters that
provide an overview of dried fruits (their composition,
phytochemicals and health applications) as well as the cancer
chemopreventive effects of selected dried fruits (amla fruits or
Indian gooseberries, avocados, berries, mangoes, mangosteens,
persimmons, prunes, raisins, kiwi fruits, and other dried fruits).
The first section covers the most popular dried berries
(blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, cranberries, goji
berries, mulberries, raspberries, and strawberries); the second
section discusses non-tropical dried fruits (apples, apricots,
cherries, citrus fruits, figs, nectarines, peaches, pears, prunes,
and raisins); and the final section addresses tropical dried fruits
(açai fruits, bananas, dates, guavas, papayas, mangoes,
passion fruits, and pineapples).

Contributors to this volume are internationally renowned
researchers who have provided a comprehensive account of the global
perspectives of the issues relating to phytochemicals and health
effects of dried fruits. The book will serve as a resource for
those interested in the potential application of new developments
in dried fruits' nutraceuticals and functional foods.
Biochemists, chemists, food scientists/technologists,
nutritionists, and health professionals, from academia, government
laboratories, and industry will benefit from this publication.
Although this book is intended primarily as a reference book, it
also summarises the current state of knowledge in key research
areas and contains ideas for future work. In addition, it provides
easy to read text suitable for teaching senior undergraduate and
post-graduate students.

Associate Professor Cesarettin Alasalvar, TÜBÝTAK Marmara Research Centre, Food Institute, Gebze-Kocaeli, Turkey

Professor Fereidoon Shahidi, Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Dried fruits serve as important healthful snack items around the world. They provide a concentrated form of fresh fruits, prepared by different drying techniques. With their unique combination of taste/aroma, essential nutrients, fibre, and phytochemicals or bioactive compounds, dried fruits are convenient for healthy eating and can bridge the gap between recommended intake of fruits and actual consumption. Dried fruits are nutritionally equivalent to fresh fruits, in smaller serving sizes, in the current dietary recommendations of various countries. Scientific evidence suggests that individuals who regularly consume generous amounts of dried fruits have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, various types of cancer, type-2 diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Dried fruits also have the advantage of being easy to store and distribute, available around the year, readily incorporated into other foods and recipes, and present a healthy alternative to salty or sugary snacks.

Dried Fruits: Phytochemicals and Health Effects is divided into three sections preceded by introductory chapters that provide an overview of dried fruits (their composition, phytochemicals and health applications) as well as the cancer chemopreventive effects of selected dried fruits (amla fruits or Indian gooseberries, avocados, berries, mangoes, mangosteens, persimmons, prunes, raisins, kiwi fruits, and other dried fruits). The first section covers the most popular dried berries (blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, cranberries, goji berries, mulberries, raspberries, and strawberries); the second section discusses non-tropical dried fruits (apples, apricots, cherries, citrus fruits, figs, nectarines, peaches, pears, prunes, and raisins); and the final section addresses tropical dried fruits (açai fruits, bananas, dates, guavas, papayas, mangoes, passion fruits, and pineapples).

Contributors to this volume are internationally renowned researchers who have provided a comprehensive account of the global perspectives of the issues relating to phytochemicals and health effects of dried fruits. The book will serve as a resource for those interested in the potential application of new developments in dried fruits' nutraceuticals and functional foods. Biochemists, chemists, food scientists/technologists, nutritionists, and health professionals, from academia, government laboratories, and industry will benefit from this publication. Although this book is intended primarily as a reference book, it also summarises the current state of knowledge in key research areas and contains ideas for future work. In addition, it provides easy to read text suitable for teaching senior undergraduate and post-graduate students.

List of Contributors xii

Preface xvii

1 Composition, phytochemicals, and beneficial health effects of dried fruits: an overview 1 Cesarettin Alasalvar and Fereidoon Shahidi

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Compositional and nutritional characteristics of dried fruits 2

1.3 Phytochemicals in dried fruits 6

1.4 Beneficial health effects of dried fruits 13

1.5 Commercial products and industrial applications of dried fruits 14

1.6 Conclusions 14

References 15

2 Cancer chemopreventive effects of selected dried fruits 19 Joydeb Kumar Kundu and Young-Joon Surh

2.1 Chemoprevention: an overview 19

2.2 The promise of dried fruits in cancer prevention 19

2.3 Dried fruits as a potential source of chemopreventive phytochemicals 21

2.4 Biochemical basis of chemoprevention with dried fruits 21

2.5 Chemopreventive properties of bioactive substances derived from selected dried fruits 24

2.6 Conclusions 39

Acknowledgments 40

References 40

Part 1 Dried Berries

3 Phytochemicals and health benefits of blackberries and black currants 55 Haiming Shi and Liangli (Lucy) Yu

3.1 Introduction 55

3.2 Compositional and nutritional characteristics of blackberries and black currants 55

3.3 Phytochemicals in blackberries and black currants 58

3.4 Health benefits of blackberries and black currants 66

3.5 Commercial products and industrial applications of blackberries and black currants 68

3.6 Drying effects on antioxidant capacities and phenolics of blackberries and black currants 69

3.7 Conclusions 70

References 70

4 Dried blueberries: the effects of processing on health-promoting compounds 75 William L. Kerr

4.1 Introduction 75

4.2 Varieties and composition 76

4.3 Compositional and nutritional characteristics of blueberries 77

4.4 Phytochemicals…