It is now possible to convert superfoods, including honey into powder without destroying their nutritional value thanks to a team of Greek researchers.
At the Technical University of Thessaly they have perfected a sophisticated, high-tech method that uses freeze-drying to completely remove fluids from the food, with the structure and composition left intact.
Using this technique means neither the vitamins nor the aromas are destroyed in the process.
“If we used any other method, we would have retained only about 10 per cent of the nutrients. With this method we retain almost 100 per cent,” said Associate Professor of Agricultural Engineering Kostas Petrotos from the Technical University of Thessaly.
This method can successfully be used on all fruits to turn them into powder, but he says because it is a costly process that it is wiser to use it only on ‘superfoods’ that have high added value.
They used the techniques on a range of superfoods including honey, chokeberries, bilberries, cranberries, and goji berries.