Freeze-Dried Longan
Freeze-dried longan is ripe longan (Dimocarpus longan, also called dragon eye) aril, peeled and deseeded, then frozen and dried under vacuum into light, crisp, ivory-white balls with a honey-floral sweetness. Nothing is added: no sugar, no sulfites, no preservatives. FruitBuys supplies it from Vietnam’s Mekong Delta in bulk cartons and private-label retail packs for snack, tea, dessert and confectionery brands, importers and distributors. It belongs to our freeze-dried fruit range.
Most shoppers outside Asia have only met longan as a dark, chewy, heat-dried fruit. Freeze-drying turns it into something new on the shelf: a pale, round, hollow ball that cracks like meringue and melts into the fresh aroma of just-peeled longan. Planning a first order? Our freeze-dried longan RFQ checklist gets you a firm quote in one round of email.
Product specification
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Product | Freeze-dried longan |
| Ingredient | 100% ripe longan aril (Dimocarpus longan), peeled and deseeded; unsulfured, with no sugar, preservatives, colours or flavourings added |
| Origin / varieties | Mekong Delta, Vietnam (Vinh Long, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Tien Giang, Soc Trang): Tieu Da Bo and Xuong Com Vang, harvested every month, peak June–July |
| Grades | Whole deseeded balls 18–25 mm (standard); halves; pieces for inclusions; custom grading |
| Texture / colour / taste | Light, airy crunch that melts quickly; natural ivory to light cream with a pale beige rim; honey-floral sweetness |
| Raw-fruit Brix (working range) | 18–22 °Brix, hand-sorted at full ripeness |
| Moisture | ≤5.0% contract limit; factory release ≤4.0% |
| Water activity | ≤0.30 contract limit; factory release ≤0.25 |
| Total plate count | ≤10⁴ CFU/g |
| Yeasts and moulds | ≤10² CFU/g |
| E. coli / Salmonella | <10 CFU/g / not detected in 25 g |
| Grading tolerance | ≥85% on size; broken or split balls ≤10% (whole grade); fines through a 3 mm screen ≤3–5% |
| Fresh-to-dry | 8–9.5 kg whole fresh longan → 1 kg finished product |
| HS code | 0813.40; EU CN 0813 40 95 |
| Shelf life | 18–24 months in the original sealed bulk foil bag with desiccant, stored cool at ≤18 °C, RH ≤50%; 12 months for the sealed bulk bag at ≤25 °C, RH ≤60%, and once repacked into retail pouches. |
The colour is the clean label you can see. Longan dried the traditional way turns dark brown, and much of the Asian trade has long relied on sulfur fumigation to hold colour. FruitBuys longan is never sulfured: its natural ivory with a pale beige rim around the seed cavity is how the fruit looks when nothing has been done to it, and a sulfite result on the lot COA confirms it for your label. Sulfite recalls on dried longan keep recurring in Singapore, the US and Hong Kong; a lot that was never fumigated takes that risk off your shelf.
Year-round supply on your schedule. Tieu Da Bo and Xuong Com Vang carry a thick, firm aril that separates cleanly from the seed, so each ball keeps its round cup shape through the freezer and dryer instead of collapsing. Mekong growers stagger flowering orchard by orchard, so this fruit reaches the gate every month. Your programme runs on scheduled call-offs through the year instead of one seasonal stock-up, which keeps your working capital out of the warehouse.
The moisture buffer: FruitBuys releases at aw 0.25. Longan is rich in natural sugar, and sugar pulls moisture back from the air. Each lot leaves the facility a full step below the 0.30 contract limit, sealed with silica gel in a foil barrier, so the balls still crack when your team opens the carton weeks later in another climate.
Nutrition (per 100 g, typical values)
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 340 kcal | |
| Total fat | 0.5 g | 1% |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 0% |
| Trans fat | 0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 0 mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 1,500 mg | 32% |
| Total carbohydrate | 85 g | 31% |
| Dietary fiber | 6 g | 21% |
| Total sugars | 70 g (naturally occurring) | |
| Protein | 7 g | 14% |
*Based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Typical values for 100% freeze-dried longan; natural variation by origin, season and ripeness applies. Use them to design formulations and pack artwork now; for the printed label, FruitBuys runs an independent nutrition panel on your commercial lot. Fresh longan carries about 84 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, more than an orange, and low-temperature drying under vacuum keeps far more of it than heat drying; the lot panel puts the finished number on your label. Full label guidance sits in our freeze-dried longan nutrition facts.
Grades and applications
| Grade | Best fit | Carton fill |
|---|---|---|
| Whole balls | Retail snack pouches, dessert and bubble-tea toppings, gift packs | 7 kg |
| Halves | Tea blends, yogurt and frozen-yogurt toppings | 7–8 kg |
| Pieces | Granola, cereal, white-chocolate bark and bakery inclusions | 9–10 kg |
Shelf impact per gram. Each whole ball is hollow where the seed was, so freeze-dried longan carries 2.2–2.5× the apparent volume of soft-dried fruit. A 35–50 g pouch looks as full on shelf as a 100–120 g pouch of chewy dried fruit, which keeps fruit cost per retail pack low.
In liquids and on toppings. Dropped into warm tea, a ball softens in 60–90 seconds and releases its floral aroma into the cup. On frozen yogurt or yogurt it holds its crunch for 3–5 minutes, long enough to serve and eat. In dry and fat-based products (granola, chocolate, trail mix) it stays crisp for the life of the pack.
Flavour that tells a story. The taste is honey-sweet and floral with a light caramel finish, the flavour of longan as it is eaten across Asia in herbal teas with red dates, goji and chrysanthemum, and in sweet soups at Mid-Autumn. That heritage now fits the global wellness-tea shelf, and it pairs just as well with Western formats: in white-chocolate bark the crisp ball and its floral sweetness balance the richness of cocoa butter. For drinks and shakes, our freeze-dried longan powder dissolves cleanly. For a side-by-side with traditional dried longan and four application concepts, see freeze-dried vs dried longan.
Packaging
| Option | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bulk | 1–5 kg PET/AL/LLDPE barrier bags (100–120 µm), light-vacuum sealed with 50–100 g silica gel, in a 5-ply export carton |
| Export carton | 58 × 28 × 34 cm; 7 kg whole balls, 9–10 kg pieces |
| Retail / private label | 30 g, 50 g, 100 g, 500 g aluminium-foil zip pouches, gently vacuumed with silica gel, no nitrogen flush; window pouches in high-barrier laminate |
| Storage | ≤25 °C, RH ≤60%, dark; ≤18 °C, RH ≤50% for stock held longer |
Bulk bags are sized to one production batch, so your line empties a whole bag straight into the mix and every other bag stays sealed and crisp until its turn. Soft vacuum keeps bags flat and tight in the carton, so hollow balls do not shift and crack when cartons are stacked; a puffed nitrogen bag gets squeezed instead, and badly packed lots can reach port with 15–20% fines.
Commercial terms
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Supply capacity | 100 tons/year across qualified partner facilities |
| Trial order | From 1–2 full export cartons, then 20 ft container contracts |
| Private label / OEM / ODM | From 500 kg per SKU |
| Samples | Dispatched in 3–5 working days |
| Production lead time | 20–30 days for a 20 ft container, after deposit |
| 20 ft container, floor-loaded | About 550 cartons, 3,850–5,500 kg net |
| 40 ft HC container, floor-loaded | Up to 1,120 cartons, 7,840–11,200 kg net |
| 40 ft palletised | 20–24 pallets, about 760–840 cartons; forklift unloading at your warehouse |
| Container type | Standard dry container, no reefer |
| Batch consistency | One locked processing facility for the full contract year, change-control on any switch, on-site audit access |
| Payment terms | T/T 40% deposit, 60% before shipment or against copy of B/L; L/C at sight |
| Port of loading | Cat Lai Port or Tan Son Nhat Airport |
| Shipping terms | FOB, CIF (sea and air) |
A container of fruit in a dry box. One kilogram of freeze-dried longan takes 8–9.5 kg of whole fresh fruit, so a full 40 ft HC carries the equivalent of about 60–100 tonnes of fresh longan in a standard dry container, with no cold chain and no spoilage clock. Grade decides the load: pieces at 9–10 kg per carton put about 30–40% more kilograms in the same container than whole balls at 7 kg. Choose whole balls for shelf appeal, pieces when landed cost per kilogram decides.
Quality and documents
- Lot COA with every container: moisture, water activity, total plate count, yeasts and moulds, Salmonella and E. coli, from an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory.
- Sulfite on every lot: a sulfite result below 10 mg/kg on the lot COA backs the unsulfured claim on your pack.
- Contaminant surveillance: periodic third-party testing, with reports in the technical file.
- Destination panels: matched to EU, US or UAE requirements and completed before stuffing, so the container arrives with the evidence your importer needs.
- Pre-shipment and retained samples: 100–200 g from the packed lot in two sealed foil pouches; a retained sample from every container lot kept for its full shelf life.
- Certifications: HACCP, ISO 22000, BRC (qualified processing facility), US FDA Facility Registration; Halal certification available on request.
- Standard export dossier with every shipment: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, C/O Form EUR.1, phytosanitary certificate and lot COA, so the container clears on arrival without a document chase.
Import and labeling
- European Union: freeze-dried longan enters under CN 0813 40 95. The third-country duty is 2.4%; with Form EUR.1 under the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement it drops to 0% (EU TARIC).
- No increased border checks: Vietnamese longan and dried fruit of heading 0813 are not on the EU list of products under increased official controls, so containers clear on standard frequency.
- Sulfite labeling: in the EU and US, sulfite at 10 mg/kg or more (as SO₂) must be declared on the label. A result below 10 mg/kg lets your pack read “unsulfured” with nothing to declare.
- United Kingdom: same commodity code, 0813 40 95, with Form EUR.1 under UKVFTA.
- United States: classified under HTSUS heading 0813.40; the facility holds US FDA Facility Registration, and FruitBuys supplies Prior Notice data and the supplier file your FSVP needs. Full import guidance: freeze-dried longan market compliance.
- UAE / GCC: importer product registration and Arabic labeling for retail packs.
Verify the sample
- Crack test: a whole ball should crack cleanly between two fingers, not bend or squash.
- Colour: natural ivory to light cream with a pale beige rim; a bright, uniform white points to bleaching, dark brown to heat damage.
- Aroma: fresh floral longan when you open the pouch; a sharp, sulfurous note means SO₂.
- Water activity: read a sealed pouch within minutes of opening; ≤0.30 passes, and FruitBuys releases at ≤0.25.
- Whole-ball count: count broken or split balls in 200 g against the ≤10% tolerance for whole grade.
- Ingredient line: “longan” only; any sugar, sulfite or carrier means a different product.
FAQ
How is freeze-dried longan different from traditional dried longan?
Traditional dried longan is heat-dried to a dark brown, chewy flesh and is often sulfured. Freeze-dried longan keeps the ivory colour, round shape and floral aroma of fresh fruit, with a light crisp bite and no sulfites. The full comparison is in freeze-dried vs dried longan.
Does it contain added sugar or sulfites?
No. The sweetness comes from the fruit, concentrated by drying. The ingredient is 100% longan, unsulfured.
Why no preservatives?
At water activity ≤0.30 microorganisms cannot grow, so dry fruit in a sealed foil barrier needs no preservative. It holds 18–24 months in the original sealed bulk bag stored cool at ≤18 °C and RH ≤50%, and 12 months once repacked into retail pouches at ≤25 °C and RH ≤60%.
Is longan available all year?
Yes. Mekong growers stagger flowering across orchards, so fresh longan is harvested every month and container programmes run year-round.
How much fresh longan goes into 1 kg?
8–9.5 kg of whole fruit. The aril is about 83% water, and peeling and deseeding remove the shell and the large seed before drying.
Which grade should I order?
Whole balls for retail snacks and visual toppings; pieces for granola, chocolate and bakery inclusions, where they cost less per kilogram to buy and to ship.
Do I get a COA for every lot?
Yes. Every container ships with a lot COA for moisture, water activity, total plate count, yeasts and moulds, Salmonella and E. coli, plus a sulfite result below 10 mg/kg.
How do I start?
Most buyers start with a trial order of 1–2 full export cartons, approve it against the sample checks above, then move to 20 ft container contracts. Private label starts at 500 kg per SKU, and the freeze-dried longan RFQ checklist lists everything a firm quote needs.
Request a quote
Send these six details and we return a specification, a container loading plan and a sample schedule in one reply:
- Grade: whole balls, halves or pieces
- Packaging: bulk carton or retail pouch sizes
- Volume: trial lot and annual estimate, with call-off months
- Destination port and Incoterm
- Loading: floor-loaded or palletised
- Market panels beyond the standard COA (e.g. EU multi-residue)
