Dried fruit and its functional properties from a consumer’s point of view By K. JESIONKOWSKA 1 * , S. J. SIJTSEMA 2 , D. KONOPACKA 1 and R. SYMONEAUX 3 1 Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, 18 Pomologiczna Street, 96-100 Skierniewice, Poland 2 LEI Wageningen University and Research Centre, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands 3 Association Groupe ESA-Labo GRAPPE, 55 rue Rabelais, 49 007 Angers Cedex 01, France (e-mail: kjesion@insad.pl) (Accepted 31 August 2009) SUMMARY Modern drying technology provides the opportunity to obtain dried fruits with high concentrations of bioactive compounds. Such products may also be fortified with functional ingredients.The adoption of dried fruit as a carrier of functional ingredients for consumers is indispensable to launch this kind of product successfully on the market. Thus, the aim of this study was to collect data on consumer perceptions and interests in dried fruits (plain or fortified) through a questionnaire distributed on the Internet to 1,092 Dutch, French, and Polish respondents. In this quantitative study, the respondents were first asked to rank statements about a product with different positive influences on human health. Products which lowered the risk of cancer or heart diseases were mainly of interest to Polish and Dutch respondents, whereas French consumers emphasised the prevention of intestinal problems. Furthermore, we checked the level of consumer interest in dried fruits enriched with a particular functional ingredient (e.g., anti-oxidants, natural fruit sugars, or prebiotics). Products with anti-oxidants seemed to be the most promising in all three countries investigated.Among five different forms of product (i.e., candy, fruit teas, cereals, bars, or cookies) in which dried fruit could be incorporated, cereals were selected by approx. 33% of all respondents as the best product to which a functional dried fruit could be added. In summary, dried fruits can be adopted as carriers of functional ingredients, especially when promoted as a source of anti-oxidants. E xploitation of dried fruit as a carrier of functional ingredients is a relatively new concept, although the functional properties of such products originated from the nature of drying process, where the removal of water leads to a natural concentration of healthy fruit components. Even taking into consideration the fact that traditional drying technology leads to serious losses of bioactive compounds, dried fruit can still be a valuable source not only of energy, dietary fibre and minerals, but also of anti-oxidant activity. Natives in Canada used to dry berries in order to have enough vitamin C during the off-season to protect them against scurvy (Turner, 1997). Due to the application of modern technology, the matrix of fruits and vegetables can be fortified with health- promoting compounds such as prebiotics, vitamins, or minerals. This is considered to be an important area for future research into the development of functional food markets (Alzamora et al., 2005; Fito et al., 2001). Based on the natural potential of fruit, and the opportunities offered by modern technology, the idea arose within the ISAFRUIT Integrated Project to develop novel, convenient, dried fruit products with functional properties that could contribute to the increased consumption of healthy products. New food product development, especially those with functional properties, represents a high risk for any company (van Trijp and Steenkamp, 2005; van Kleef et al., 2002; 2005). Statistics show that many functional food products, even when developed from a sound scientific point of view, encounter poor market acceptance (Hilliam, 1998). Approx. 75% of newly- launched food products are withdrawn from the food market during their first 2 years (Menrad, 2003). Consumer acceptance of a specific functional ingredient is linked to consumer knowledge of its health effects, thus, the first essential step in product development is to explore which diseases consumers are actually concerned about (van Kleef et al., 2005; Menrad, 2003). To consume functional foods, consumers also need to know what benefit they will get from consuming a particular food, and why (Wansink et al., 2005). For many years, in the European Union, using disease-related information on packages or in product advertisements for a functional food was forbidden (Menrad, 2003). In July 2007, regulations on the nutritional and health claims that can be made for a food were introduced (EC Reg. No. 1924/2006).This provides the food industry with new legislation opportunities to design innovative products with added nutritional value (Schaafsma and Kok, 2005). Apart from the proper formulation of health claims, the product should also be presented in an attractive form so that consumers can accept easily it (van Kleef et al., 2005). To increase the chance of consumer adoption of any novel dried-fruit product, this quantitative study was undertaken to address consumer perceptions of dried *Author for correspondence. Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology (2009) ISAFRUIT Special Issue 85–88