Sun-Dried vs. Sulphur-Treated Dry Fruits: What's the Actual Difference?

If you've ever compared two bags of dried apricots — one a uniform, almost glowing orange, the other a duller, more varied brown-orange — you've already seen the difference between sulphur-treated and naturally sun-dried fruit, even if nobody told you what you were looking at.

What sulphur treatment actually does

Sulphur dioxide (or sulphite dips) is used industrially to do three things: preserve colour, extend shelf life, and speed up drying time. It works — treated fruit looks more vivid and lasts longer on a shelf. But it also means consuming a chemical residue, and it's a known trigger for people with sulphite sensitivity or asthma, which is why it's a mandatory allergen-style disclosure in several countries.

What we do instead

Everything we sell — walnuts, almonds, apricots, figs — is dried the traditional way: laid out and dried naturally in the sun, over several days, with no sulphur, no bleaching agents, and no artificial preservatives. It's slower, and it means our dried apricots and figs look exactly like what naturally dried fruit looks like: a little uneven in colour, sometimes a bit darker at the edges, and genuinely more concentrated in flavour because nothing was added to mask or accelerate the process.

What to actually look for when buying

• Colour that's too uniform or unnaturally bright is a signal, not a guarantee, of sulphur treatment — trust it alongside smell and price, not alone.
• A faint sulphur/matchstick smell on opening the pack is a fairly reliable tell.
• Price that seems too low for the volume of hand-picking and sun-drying involved is worth questioning.

We'd rather you know exactly what you're getting than have the brightest-looking bag on a shelf. Browse the full range in Dried Fruits.