Prune
Our customers use prunes (dried plums) because of their natural sweetness, functional benefits, and strong association with digestive health. Prunes are rich in fiber and sorbitol, which makes them effective for supporting gut health and allows manufacturers to promote digestive wellness claims. Their soft, sticky texture makes them useful as a natural binding agent and moisture retainer in products like baked goods, snack bars, and cereals. Prunes also help enhance sweetness, reducing the need for added sugars. Additionally, they contain antioxidants and essential nutrients, supporting health-focused positioning. Their dried form provides a long shelf life and ease of storage, making them practical for large-scale production and consistent use in food formulations.
Prune can be supplied as organic upon request
Botanical: Prunus Domestica
The Sun Dried Treat
Prunes are dried plums, typically made from specific varieties of plums that have a high sugar content and firm flesh, and frequently processed into prune NFC juice or Prune juice concentrate. The drying process removes most of the water from the fruit, resulting in a smaller, darker, and more concentrated product. Prunes have a wrinkled appearance and a soft, chewy texture. They have been produced and consumed for centuries and are commonly associated with regions that cultivate plums, such as parts of Europe and the United States. Because they are dried, prunes have a much longer shelf life than fresh plums and can be stored for extended periods.
Prune juice is a uniquely functional fruit ingredient derived from dried plums (Prunus domestica). Unlike standard fruit juices expressed directly from raw, fresh-picked harvests, commercial prune juice is produced through a controlled hot-water leaching process of mature, sound dried prunes. The resulting liquid is rich in natural sorbitol (a polyol/sugar alcohol), soluble dietary fiber, malic and quinic acids, and complex phenolic compounds. In commercial fruit ingredient processing, the cultivar and drying parameters dictate the final sugar density, color, and functional performance:
-
French Prune / D’Agen (Prunus domestica var. d’Agen) is the undisputed global benchmark for prune processing. D’Agen plums possess dense freestone flesh, exceptionally high natural Brix, and high sorbitol content. When sun-dried or dehydrated in tunnel dryers, they undergo natural caramelization and Maillard reactions, producing the deep mahogany-amber color, rich molasses-like aroma, and balanced tartness characteristic of premium prune juice.
-
Commercial European & Domestic Dried Plums are varieties selected for high water-soluble solids and dark skin pigmentation. They yield high-solids concentrates used extensively in bakery humectants, industrial meat processing, and high-volume functional beverage manufacturing.
Brothers International partners with specialized origin processors who hot-water extract dried prunes through multi-stage counter-current diffusers, yielding a liquid containing a minimum of 18.5% water-soluble fruit solids. The extract is filtered, de-pectinized, and concentrated under low-temperature vacuum systems.
Global Sourcing Through the Brothers International Network:
Securing a continuous, year-round supply of commercial prune juice ingredients requires an established footprint across the world’s primary prune-producing regions. Prune plum orchards require temperate microclimates with cold winter dormancy followed by hot, dry summers to ensure high sugar accumulation prior to drying. Brothers International connects North American manufacturers to premier global growing belts through our audited network of supplier partners.
We source high-grade prune ingredients from top global origins:
-
North America (United States – California): California’s Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys represent the premier domestic source for D’Agen prune juice and concentrates, delivering full field-to-pouch traceability, strict quality control, and consistent sorbitol levels.
-
South America (Chile & Argentina): Chile is a global exporter of dried prunes, supplying counter-seasonal processing capacity and high-solids prune juice concentrates during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter and spring.
-
Europe (France & Serbia): France (the historic birthplace of the Pruneau d’Agen) and Serbia supply premium European-grade prune juice extracts with rich, rounded aromatic profiles.
By coordinating supply across North America, South America, and Europe, Brothers International insulates your manufacturing facility against regional crop failures, drying tunnel bottlenecks, and commodity price spikes.
Harvest Cycles & Continuous Supply Management:
In the Northern Hemisphere (California and Europe), prune plums are harvested at peak sugar maturity from late August through September and immediately transferred to dehydration tunnels. Once dried, the prunes can be held under controlled storage, allowing processors to perform hot-water extraction continuously throughout all four quarters. In the Southern Hemisphere (Chile), plum harvesting and drying occur from February through April.
Managing year-round continuous extraction runs and temperature-monitored shipping routes is a core competency of Brothers International. Our operations and logistics teams oversee multi-quarter inventory allocations, maritime freight, USDA/FDA import clearances, C-TPAT supply chain security, and strategic warehousing across North America. Whether your line requires 55-gallon drums of single-strength NFC prune juice or bulk totes of 70° Brix prune juice concentrate, our network guarantees ready inventory when your formulation demands it.
Rigorous Quality Control, Traceability & Compliance:
Processing prune NFC juice demands strict technical control over soluble solids (% NTSS / Brix), titratable acidity, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) development, particle filtration, and thermal pasteurization. Every supplier within the Brothers International network undergoes a comprehensive auditing process to guarantee complete supply chain traceability, sustainable farming practices, and strict compliance with USDA, FDA, and international food safety standards.
Through our network, we deliver prune ingredients backed by complete technical documentation and top-tier industry certifications, including GFSI benchmarks (BRC, SQF, FSSC 22000), USDA Organic (NOP), Kosher, Non-GMO, and Halal standards. Our quality assurance protocols include testing for pesticide residues, heavy metals, microbiological safety, sorbitol percentage, viscosity, color absorbance, and Brix adherence under FDA 21 CFR § 146.187 and 21 CFR § 101.30.
The Brothers International
Quality Promise
Brothers International and its 4 divisions, Brothers Ingredients, Dennick Fruit Source, Hosh International and Food Partners, are trusted global importers of premium ingredients to major food and beverage manufacturers in North America. We deliver consistent quality and supply across every format the industry demands. Our Prune is sourced from the earth’s prime growing regions where farming expertise, climate and soil composition come together to produce Prune of exceptional caliber. All of our suppliers undergo a rigorous vetting process to ensure we work with only the highest-quality processors and can fully guarantee traceability, sustainability, and compliance with all international regulations.
Each of our divisions has a specialized operations team to manage shipments and coordinate with customers and suppliers. They work closely with our in-house customs team to ensure efficient clearance, and collaborate with the USDA and FDA to maintain full regulatory compliance. This ensures your ingredients move seamlessly through every stage of import, arriving on time and ready for production with complete confidence. With decades of sourcing expertise and a strong commitment to customer success, you can count on Brothers International to deliver the premium ingredients your products require.
Industry Glossary
A Reference Guide for Fruit Ingredient Terminology
Check out our glossary for a consolidated reference of commonly used terminology across the global fruit ingredient industry. It provides straightforward definitions and context for the language and concepts referenced throughout the industry.
