The fruit salad in syrup is made up of an assortment of fresh fruits. Among these the most common are: grapes, peaches, apricots, apple, pear, cherries, melon and pineapple. Fruit belongs to the VI-VII fundamental group of foods, that is products rich in vitamins A and C. These foods have a moderate caloric intake, provided above all by fructose. There is plenty of water and there are certain specific minerals, especially potassium; the level of folic acid is also significant.
On the other hand, once transformed into a "preserve" - washing, peeling, cutting, coring, pitting, cooking and potting in sweet preserving liquid - the vitamin concentration of fruit salad tends to decrease significantly. fruit salad in syrup is much richer in soluble / simple sugars and calories, which gives it a high glycemic-insulin load and index, characteristics that are not very suitable for the clinical nutrition of overweight, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. Remember that an excess of sugars can favor the formation of dental caries. To improve conservation, fruit salad in syrup is enriched with antioxidant additives in the industrial sector - especially based on vitamin C (ascorbic acid), such as the many types of ascorbate. Today these antioxidant "protectors" are also available at retail and are increasingly used in homemade preserves.
The recipe for fruit salad in syrup is quite simple. The steps that determine the increase in conservation are cooking and sterilization in an airtight jar. Taking for granted the application of an adequate heat treatment, the most important - but also the most delicate - step to obtain a fruit salad in syrup with a perfect consistency. it is certainly the formulation of the syrup.
In the kitchen, fruit salad in syrup is mainly used as a dessert, sometimes accompanied by whipped cream, liqueurs, chocolate chips, biscuits, etc. It is advisable to eat it away from main meals, in order to avoid an excessive increase in the glycemic load. It is therefore an ingredient for breakfast or a valid alternative to secondary snacks. There are several recipes that contain fruit in syrup even if, generally, they share all for the excessive intake of calories and simple sugars; some examples are cakes, especially cold - such as cheesecakes - or various spoon desserts - such as parfaits or ice cream cups.
