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Canned Dried Plums

An exception to the normal industry procedure of packing to order is canned dried plums, also variously described as ready-to-serve, stewed, cooked or prepared dried plums. Possessing good keeping qualities, canned dried plums can be processed ahead of orders and stored ready for shipment. A wide range of sizes are available, from 16-oz. to the traditional institutional #10 container. As with dried plums, the size (designated by count) is the number of canned dried plums free of liquid per pound. The count does not indicate the size of the dried plums used in processing. Thus, the 30/40 canned dried plum does not come from a 30/40 dried plum.

There are three standard packs of canned dried plums:

  1. Regular Prepared or Stewed
  2. Nectar-Style
  3. Moist-Pack

Regular Prepared or Stewed Dried Plums
These dried plums are fully cooked in water, syrup or their own juice. They come in sizes from 16-oz. containers to #10 cans. Pitted and whole are available in all sizes. There is some terminology to know:

  • Label Count: the number of dried plums per container.
  • Drained Weight: the weight of the fruit after the liquid has been drained for two minutes.
  • Cut-Out Count: the number of dried plums per pound after draining.

The following chart gives information on products available:

WHOLE DRIED PLUMS
CASE PACK LABEL COUNT LIQUID USED * DRAINED WEIGHT CUT-OUT COUNT SERVINGS PER CAN
12/303 21/26
HS
10.75 oz.
30/40
5 (5 dried plums)
12/2.5
29/35
HS or EHS
19
20/30
8 (4 dried plums)
12/2.5 38/42 HS 19 30/40 8 (5 dried plums)
6/10 70/90 EHS 70 15/20 30 (3 dried plums)
6/10 90/110 HS 70 20/30 25 (4 dried plums)
6/10 115/135 HS or EHS 70 20/30 32 (4 dried plums)
6/10 140/160 HS or Water 70-75 30/40 30 (5 dried plums)
6/10 165/180 HS 70 30/40 30 (6 dried plums)
6/10 190/210 HS 70 40/50 30 (7 dried plums)
6/10 210/230 HS 70 50/60 32 (7 dried plums)



PITTED DRIED PLUMS
CASE PACK LABEL COUNT LIQUID USED * DRAINED WEIGHT CUT-OUT COUNT SERVINGS PER CAN
6/10 140/180 ** Water 70 oz. 30/40 *** 30 (5 dried plums)
6/10 140/180 HS 70 oz. 30/40 *** 30 (5 dried plums)
6/10 140/180 Prune Juice 70 oz. 30/40 *** 30 (5 dried plums)

 

*     HS = Heavy Syrup, 30 degree Brix or more. EHS = Extra Heavy Syrup, 24 degree to 30 degree Brix.
**     This is also available in the narrower count range of 140/160 and 160/180.
***     This is an equivalent count meaning that the pitted fruit is the equivalent size to an unpitted 30/40 cut-out count.

Nectar-Style Dried Plums
This style is distinguished by its high drained weight. The nectar-style pack contains approximately one-third more dried plums per can than the prepared style and has correspondingly less liquid. The result is a slightly firmer dried plum. A great benefit is that the cost of packaging is amortized over a greater number of servings reducing the cost per individual serving. These products are all ready-to-serve.

PITTED DRIED PLUMS

 
CASE
PACK		 LABEL
COUNT		 LIQUID
USED		 DRAINED
WEIGHT		 CUT-OUT
COUNT *		 SERVINGS
PER CAN
12/303 28/32 Water 14 oz. 30/40 6 (5 dried plums)
12/2.5 50/60 Water 25 30/40 11 (5 dried plums)
6/10 190/220 Water 92 15/20 40 (3 dried plums)
6/10 190/220 Prune Juice 92 20/30 40 (4 dried plums)
6/10 190/220 Pear Juice 92 20/30 40 (4 dried plums)

 

*     This is an equivalent count meaning that the pitted fruit is the equivalent size to an unpitted 30/40 cut-out count.

Moist-Pack Dried Plums
This is our confectionery pack. These dried plums have been processed to 35-42% moisture (perfect for snacking) and sealed in the can with no preservatives. For retail there are 8-and 9-oz. containers, some with easy pull tops and lids. For foodservice and export, moist-pack dried plums are available in all fruit sizes as well as pitted. A #5 can holds 3 lbs. and a #10 can holds up to 6 lbs. of product. There is no liquid in the can, so these plums are perfect for snacking, as a cereal topper, or as a garnish. What's more, they are very cost efficient since a single can of moist-pack dried plums will contain approximately 360 dried plums. That means 432 servings of 5 dried plums each in one case. A comparison:

PITTED DRIED PLUMS

 
Style Count/Can Servings/Can
Prepared Pitted 140/180 30 (5 dried plums)
Nectar-Style Pitted 190/220 40 (5 dried plums)
Moist-Pack Pitted 340/380* 72 (5 dried plums)

 

*     This is a 5.5 lb. moist-pack pitted dried plum.