Dried Prunes

High-quality bulk dried prunes for wholesalers, distributors, suppliers and importers

Prunes: a short introduction

A prune is a dried plum, and more than 1,000 freestone (with easy-to-remove pits) plum cultivars are grown for drying, with or without a pit. Excellent prunes are grown the world over, from Africa to California. China is by far the top producing country, accounting for 6,663,165 tons, followed by India, and Serbia. The main variety grown in the United States is the 'Improved French' prune.

Plums are a versatile group of species, with commercially significant plum trees being medium-sized, and mostly pruned to five or six meters high. Hand pruning helps to regulate tree shape, control fruit size, and maintain healthy growth, together with premium prune quality. Plum trees have a medium hardiness, and without pruning, they can reach a height of 12 meters and spread across to 10 meters. At full-capacity growth, an average of 100 kg (150-300 lbs) of raw fruit is harvested per year, within a 30-day period, around August.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS

Prunes belong to the dried fruit family and are an excellent energy source. Scientific data shows that the systematic consumption of prunes helps relieve constipation. This, to an extent, is due to their high content of natural fiber, while other ingredients, such as sorbitol and some phenolic compounds, help improve bowel movement. Furthermore, scientific data shows that prunes may also act as probiotics, helping the growth of bacteria that are beneficial for bowel function.

Prunes are also a very nutritious, offering many nutrients that are valuable for the health and proper function of the body. Prunes are rich in vitamin K, while they also contain significant amounts of B complex vitamins, vitamin A and E, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese. They also contain antioxidants, phenolic compounds and carotenoids, which protect the body against the harmful effect of free radicals and help prevent chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular conditions and various forms of cancer. Recent research has also shown that prunes are beneficial for the health of bones, as their consumption is associated with improvement of the bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

Products

Pitted and un-pitted.

PACKAGING

5 kg
10 kg
12.5 kg

Weight by carton.

FARMING

Conventional and organic.

HARVEST

The harvesting time takes place from August to October.

Key Points

Global production reached 242,700 metric tons in 2017.
The USA was the top producer in 2017 with 40% of world prune production. Chile and France followed with 31% and 21% of world production, respectively.
Estimated world prune consumption: 227,000 million metric tons in 2016.