There are few fruits that come in such a panorama of colors as the juicy sweet tasting plum. Plums cover the color spectrum, from bright greens and yellows to pale or dark reds and purples to blacks. The plum season in North America extends from May through October with the peaks in July, August and September.

Plums belong to the Prunus genus of plants and are relatives of the peach, nectarine and almond. They are all considered "drupes," fruits that have a hard stone pit surrounding their seeds. When plums are dried, they are known as prunes.

There are over 2,000 varieties, and over 100 are cultivated in the US. The European varieties are thought to have originated in the Caspian sea area and the Asian varieties originated from China.

The fresh version (plums) and the dried version (prunes) of the plant scientifically known as Prunus domestica have been the subject of repeated health research for their high content of unique phytonutrients called neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid. These substances found in plum and prune are classified as phenols, and their function as antioxidants has been well-documented.

The polyphenols and phenolic acids in prunes, along with the color based antioxidants are well known to aid in the maintenance of good cellular health and protection due to free radical damage.

Prunes are also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B2 and potassium. In addition, prunes are a good source of dietary fiber.

Encore Fruit Marketing can provide an excellent source of prune puree to help consumer products deliver one of the 5 A Day fruit servings.

Prune puree is carefully processed from fresh, washed, fully ripened and dried plums to provide the essential nutrition and color, in a convenient, ready to use ingredient form. Prune puree is an excellent ingredient to add a fruit serving to your retail label for beverages, yogurts, nutrition bars, snacks and other processed foods.

Contact Encore Fruit Marketing today for product samples and information on prune puree at www.encorefruit.com or Click Here to use our convenient Contact Form.