The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is an edible tropical plant native to South America. The fruit was brought to Europe at the end of the XV century; later, pineapple plantations were planted along the west coast of Africa. Nowadays, pineapples are grown in many tropical regions such as Florida, Mexico, Central and South America, Hawaii islands, Cuba, etc. Dehydrated pineapple from Thailand is offered in many different shapes – ring, coin, slice, dice, etc. It is produced from fresh fruit dehydrated with hot air. During dehydration, sugar is added as well as sulphur dioxide, which keeps the dried fruit color close to its natural one for a longer period of time. |