Fresh vs. Factory

Fresh fruit will always be the best choice, as long as it was properly handled from plant to kitchen and is at its peak. There are many factories that process fruit purées, but only a handful are of very high quality, and they are correspondingly of very high price (for resources). There is one benefit to factory-made purées and that is the consistency of the qualities of the product; the flavor, texture, sugar content, solids, and acidity are always the same. The fruit they use is carefully monitored to be processed at the right moment to maintain that consistency, liter after liter. If using factory-made purée, keep in mind that an average of 10 percent of the total weight will be sugar, which is added, along with a few chemicals, to preserve the product. This will be important to consider when formulating a recipe.