Fruit purees

Fruit purees are pulped or sieved fruit flesh, usually heat-treated and packed for use as ingredients in baby foods, bakery fillings, yoghurts, beverages and confectionery. Production starts with washed, sorted fruit that is pulped, refined to remove seeds and skin fragments, and thermally processed, most often by pasteurisation with hot filling or by aseptic packing, though frozen purees are common where fresh flavour matters. Because their high moisture and near-neutral pH in some fruits invite spoilage, manufacturers hold strict controls on time and temperature, Brix and acidity. Raw-fruit intake is checked for rot and for patulin and other mycotoxins, and the finished puree is tested for yeasts, moulds and heat-resistant spores before release.