We make High quality apple puree in The north west region of Iran where produces delicious apples ideal for pureeing into smooth, nutritious baby food and baking ingredients. By optimizing harvesting, processing methods, and quality control, factories in this area can make apple puree meeting global standards.
History and Analyze of Iranian apple
Apples have been cultivated in Iran for thousands of years, with archaeological evidence showing apple production as early as 1300 BC. The temperate climate and varying elevation levels across the country allow for apple cultivation in several regions.
Traditional apple growing areas are located in the northwest provinces of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, and Zanjan. The semi-arid climate with cold winters and hot summers is suitable for apple production. Major cultivars grown include Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji and Gala.
Apple production expanded in the 20th century, as new cultivation and grafting methods were introduced. The establishment of modern orchards and cold storage facilities also helped increase output. Iran now ranks in the top 15 countries globally for apple production, with annual output around 3.5 million tons.
In recent decades, there has been a focus on exporting Iranian apples to neighboring countries. Raw apple exports represent a small but growing percentage of overall production. Development of more processed apple foods like juice, juice concentrate, jams, purees and dried apples provides additional export opportunity.
How to make High quality apple puree?
Selecting Optimal Iranian Apple Cultivars
The semi-arid climate of north west Iran allows cultivation of sweet apple varieties like Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji and Gala. These apples have firm flesh that purees well. Local farmers nurture the trees to produce flavorful, unbruised fruit. Harvest timing depends on variety, with some late season apples storing better.
Picking Apples at Ideal Ripeness
Apples intended for puree are tree ripened and hand picked once fully mature. Ripe apples yield to gentle pressure and detach easily from branches. Portable Brix meters help determine optimal sugar levels between 12-14%. Careful handling prevents bruising, which causes breakdown during processing. Rapid post-harvest cooling retains freshness.
How to make High quality apple puree?
Transporting Apples Quickly to the Facility
After harvest, apples get loaded into ventilated plastic crates and loaded onto trucks. Refrigerated transport keeps apples cool at 2-5°C. Foam padding cushions the delicate fruits. The trucks move swiftly from orchard to factory to start processing within 10 hours of harvest. Minimal transit time retains maximum apple quality.
Inspecting and Washing the Raw Apples
At the facility, apples run through dump tanks to float off dirt and debris. An inspection belt removes any damaged, bruised or rotten apples. Remaining apples pass through high pressure washers and brush rollers for deep cleaning. Drying tunnels remove surface water. Sorters grade for size consistency. The clean apples move on for further processing.
Milling Apples into Uniform Mash
Clean apples pass through raspers or hammer mills to grind the fruit into mash. These mills efficiently pulverize apples into uniform particles while keeping enzymatic browning to a minimum. Precise milling enhances the smoothness of the final puree texture. Magnetic separators remove any stray metal fragments.
Enzyme Treatment to Improve Pureeing
Prior to pureeing, the milled apples go through enzymatic maceration. Adding pectinase enzymes helps break down the cell walls and pectin structure. This process improves the efficiency of pureeing and increases yield from the raw apples. Enzyme treatment duration depends on variety and ripening stage.
Pureeing and Refining to Smooth Liquid
The mashed apples pass through a finisher to achieve a liquid puree. This high-shear stage ensures a homogenous texture with no remaining particles. For baby foods, the puree gets refined through micro-sieves or microfiltration to remove any lingering fibers, seeds or grit. The result is super smooth, silky apple puree.
Standardizing Nutrition with Added Ingredients
The puree may have ingredients added to balance nutrition. Ascorbic acid maintains vitamin C content often lost during processing and storage. Added alpha-tocopherol boosts vitamin E. Malic and citric acid additions can adjust pH and flavor. Sweetness can be modulated with apple juice concentrate according to the product application.
How to make High quality apple puree?
Pasteurizing and Packaging Under Sanitary Conditions
For safety and preservation, the puree gets rapidly heated to 85-90°C by plate heat exchangers. Hot packing into plastic tubes, pouches or glass jars follows quickly. Pump fillers dispense precise quantities for retail or bulk. Tight sealing prevents recontamination. Packages are coded for tracking through distribution.
Holding Inventory in Cold Storage
Packaged puree enters blast freezers for rapid temperature reduction below -18°C. Maintaining frozen inventory ensures maximum retention of nutrition and flavor. Cold chain management continues through distribution warehouses and delivery to retailers. FIFO stock rotation minimizes age variability between containers.
Rigorous Testing and Quality Control
Extensive laboratory testing at every process stage verifies physical, chemical, and microbiological quality metrics. Tests confirm concentration, texture, color, particulate levels, pH, Brix, purity, and food safety. Strict sanitation and process control limits variation. Consumer confidence in the puree’s safety and quality remains paramount.
By combining prized regional apples with advanced production techniques, factories in north west Iran can make apple puree equaling global standards of excellence. Consumers worldwide can enjoy the delightful flavor and nutrition of peak Iranian apples in convenient, value-added puree products.
For more information, visit our Apple puree product page.