Introduction:

California Raisin products are a 100% natural way for food formulators to impart the sweetness everyone loves without artificial or added sugar. Grown naturally in California by over 2000 family farmers, raisins are made from grapes sweetened only by the sun and have no added sugar or additional ingredients. Raisins add sweetness to products the way nature intended and therefore don’t count as ‘Added Sugar’ on package nutrition labels. In addition to naturally sun-dried raisins, raisin juice concentrate and raisin paste are functional ingredients available to food manufacturers that can extend shelf life, add color, texture and more. This little superfruit has many benefits that can play an important role in new product development.  Please read below for more detailed product information.

Products:

The California Raisin industry offers a variety of products that are suitable for both consumer and industrial usage. The vast majority of the products offered are of the “Vitis vinifera” Natural Seedless varietal type and are typically dried by the sun, whether it is on paper trays or dried on the vine. Natural (Sun-Dried) seedless raisins include the Thompson seedless and other newer cultivars such as Selma Pete, Fiesta and DOVine. California Golden Seedless and California Dipped Seedless raisins are mechanically dried and processed. Other raisin varietal types include Zante Currant, Muscat, Monnuka, Sultana, and other Seedless. Raisins may also be further processed into Raisin Paste and Raisin Juice Concentrate.

California Raisins in Food Processing

California Raisins provide flavor, texture, and color to a wide variety of products.  Their natural sweetness allows for reductions of the sugar levels in formulations, and their high water binding capacity helps to retain moisture in bakery products.  Based on their numerous attributes, raisins are adaptable to a variety of other manufactured products appealing to the new and growing market for health conscious consumers.

California Raisins Technical Brochure

In the California Raisins brochure, you will find a listing of all raisins products and their applications, characteristics, availability and storage, and composition information. California Raisins provide flavor, texture, and color to a wide variety of products. Their natural sweetness allows for reductions of the sugar levels in formulations, and their high…

Storage

California Raisins at Their Best Storage Raisins are best kept in a cool and dry area of your kitchen or pantry. Raisins should be kept away from flour, rice and other grains as these products may contain insects that could be attracted to the natural sugar contained in raisins. Raisins…

Conditioning Raisins

  Conditioning raisins is an important step in the production of raisin breads. If raisins are not conditioned but added directly to the dough, they will draw moisture from the bread during fermentation and baking. This also causes the bread to stale during shipping and distribution, which reduces the shelf…

Processing Details

The processing of California raisins involves a multi-faceted process, including inspection by the USDA to ensure the raisins meet federal standards. Part of the crop is selected to make raisin juice and raisin paste for commercial applications. Before raisins are unloaded, government inspectors gather samples from the middle of each…

Processing FAQs

Q: I am planning to add California Raisins to my power bar. How do I deal with moisture transfer from the raisins? A: California Raisins have a moisture content of around 18 percent. Most of the performance bars on the market today also have a moisture content in this range.…