Grapes,Molds And Raisins

Dutchie

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People sometimes get bad reactions from grapes that is usually due to the white moldy layer. When it's cleaned off properly,they tolerate them.

Raisins are basically dried grapes,so I'm thinking the mold is still left on raisins,you just can't see it like on grapes?

Anybody any experience with reacting to grapes and also or not to raisins?

I'm also confused about dried fruits like raisins,prunes,apricots,figs.....some sources claim they contain starch?
 

pboy

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I think if the fruit is picked unripe, then allowed to sufficiently cool and sit logn enough...some starch might be formed through retrogradtion. I think the white layer on raisins and other dried fruit like figs is usually just crystallized sugar. Yet, I have had some irritating side effects eating dried fruit. Your best bet is just to give a quick rinse, then soak in water for anywhere from 2 - 24 hours...they are clean and get plump and become easier to digest. Its defiantly possible to have mold...usually you can tellby the taste or smell
 

caroline

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I can say that grapes are the only fruit I had a very adverse reaction to after eating them...They were organic--no way I would buy regular, with how highly sprayed they are. Not long after eating them, I had serious blood sugar reaction--shakey, weak, etc. It's not like I ate a lot of them either.

For what it's worth, I have not had that experience with anything else sweet, or with any fruit except for grapes. I didn't have something else along with them. Maybe that was the issue. At any rate, I felt terrible and have not had them since. Had prunes and raisins and didn't get this feeling--only with grapes.
 
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Dutchie

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@Pboy No I didn't meant that you could actually see a white moldy layer on the raisins....they're all black but I was suspecting it migth still be there since it's basically dried grapes and I don't imagine the manufacturers to rinse them so thoroughly. Most raisins over here contain sunfloweroil, but at the supermarket I saw this American brand Sun Raisins from California and they stated on the box it's 100% pure raisins with no added oils or other stuff.

I was confused because according to Cronometer,Raisins contain some starch yet most nutritionsites and labels don't mention any starch.

@Caroline It migth be the mold on the grapes you reacted to.....i've heard it several times before and when people clean it off with a concoction of vinegar&salt or baking soda they experience no problems eating it. This white layer of mold is created by the grapes themselves as a protective layer.
Or maybe the grapes weren't entirely ripened yet or contained some starch?(unless you tolerate starch well)
 

pboy

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yea dutchie I noticed that on nutritiondata too in the past...fresh figs and grapes had no starch, but somehow dried figs and raisins were listed as having a little. The only thing I can think of is that either the dried ones they tested were unripe, or that somehow some starch was formed by the fruit as it cooled, dried, and hardened in the sun. I think there might be some small amount of mold present...that's how wine is made after all, no additional yeast needed, just smash the grapes and let sit in a barrel. Some companies wash the fruit, but it probably isn't thorough...many a time ive found them with dirt. If youre worried about the yeast, maybe just skip the grapes...they aren't that nutritious anyways when compared to many other fruits. Or maybe bake or boil them to deactivate anything that may be on there. The only plus I see to raisins is how inexpensive they are compared to other fruit
 

Mittir

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I think making your own raisins from washed organic grape is a better idea.
I was eating sulfur free dates for a while. It was free of any other additives or flavoring.
Later i found out that those were heavily fumigated by pesticide to prevent
fungus and molds. It is widely practiced in dates processing.
IIRC when they add sulfur they skipped the fumigation step.
Soaking in cold water removes most of the sulfur dioxide.
Sulfur Dioxide is more soluble in cold water than hot water.
Here is one article on Californian raisins. It was written in 1999.

http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/ ... raisin.pdf
Crop Profile for Grapes (Raisin) in California
Practices.
Raisins are produced by harvesting grapes when they have attained sufficient sugar and then
either drying the grapes on paper trays on the ground in between rows or artificially in a dehydrator. Some raisins are dried on the vine (DOV).
Vines are pruned during the dormant season and canes are tied to the trellis wires before spring growth starts. Pre-emergent herbicide applications are applied during the dormant season, and most contact herbicide applications are made from fall through late spring.
Nitrogen and zinc fertilizers are applied in the spring, with potassium and boron fertilizers applied in fall through winter. Raisin grapes are harvested when sugar levels reach a minimum of 19 Brix. Higher sugar levels are best for yields and
drying ratios (ratio of grape fresh weight to dry weight). Raisin grapes are harvested onto paper trays on sloped terraces in the vineyard row centers to dry in the sun. No materials are added during the drying processes. When sufficiently dry, the raisins are transported, stemmed, screened, and washed. Prior to this processing, the stored raisins are fumigated (typically with aluminum phosphide) to prevent insect and rodent infestation.
 
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Dutchie

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I was thinking about ra8sins,dried apricots and figs because theyre more dense/lesswatery.
Would the little amount ofstarch disappear. When i sautee them along with my dinnerprotein choice?
 

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