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I always sub dates with apricots and prunes! Dates are just wayyyy too dense and sweet for me. The change does alter the taste in most cases, but it’s not a big deal. Sometimes I add a little stevia into the mix to make up for the loss of sugar in the recipes.
I used prunes in cookies a while ago and posted a recipe:
http://goneraw.com/recipes/364-Amazing-Almond-P…
They were really good but I don’t think the prunes or almonds were truly raw. I have yet to find a raw source of prunes.
Let us know if you have one.
James
I was little concerned recently when a report came out on Natural News about acrylamide in dried fruit, particularly in prunes and pears. I don’t eat either, but what if it’s in other dried fruits as well, like raisins? I think these could have been commercially dried and not necessarily organic. The study doesn’t say.
Dried Fruit Warning: Prunes and Pears Found to Contain High Levels of
Acrylamide Chemicals
by David Gutierrez
(NaturalNews) A possibly carcinogenic chemical found in starchy foods cooked at high heat is also found in high quantities in dried fruit,
according to a new study conducted by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and presented at a symposium on the
chemical that took place in Boston.
Acrylamide is a toxic chemical that was first uncovered as a human health concern in 2002, when a group of Swedish scientists discovered
that it forms in a reaction between amino acids and sugar when starchy foods, such as grains or potatoes, are baked, fried or
microwaved. Previously, the substance had only been known as an industrial chemical and an ingredient in tobacco smoke. Acrylamide is known to be carcinogenic in mice and rats, and is a suspected carcinogen among humans.
In the Swiss study, scientists found that acrylamide formed in dried fruit, particularly plums (prunes) and pears, even under relatively mild drying conditions. This was the first time acrylamide formation in food had been observed at temperatures significantly below the boiling point of water.
Among other findings presented at the symposium were a link between dietary fat and acrylamide formation, suggesting that up to half the acrylamide in roasted almonds may have formed from fat and not starch. However, the researchers in this study said that they had no evidence that lowering fat content reduces acrylamide formation.
Other researchers presented evidence that acrylamide may damage brain cells and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s, while another group found no link between the chemical and women’s breast cancer.
The symposium, organized by the American Chemical Society, is part of a global effort to uncover more data about the chemical and its health effects. Since 2002, more than 200 studies have been launched to learn more about acrylamide, with support from various national governments and international bodies.
Thank you so much for responding! Reading this I will try the apricots. At Katthrynintheraw; do you soak the apricots before you use them? @123, wow this is interesting, and worrying at the same time, thanks for sharing this info.
Thanks again :)
Yeah, I usually soak them for about an hour, then pat them dry. Sometimes I can find really fresh, mushy dried apricots that don’t need soaking (but they’re so yummy, they usually get eaten before I can make anything with them =P). About the dried prunes and pears… WOW, that’s scary. Even fruit isn’t safe lol. Kind of makes me want to start drying my own.
kathrynintheraw,
I was thinking the same thing.