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Sun-dried are ripe tomatoes that lose most of their water content after spending a majority of their drying time in the sun. These tomatoes are usually pre-treated with sulfur dioxide or salt before being placed in the sun in order to improve color and visual aspect. Typically, tomatoes drop 4–10 days in the sun in order for the sun-drying process to be complete. Cherry tomatoes will lose 88% of their first (fresh) weight, while larger tomatoes can lose up to 93% during the process. As a result, it takes anywhere from 8 to 14 kilograms of fresh tomatoes to make a single kilogram of sun-dried tomatoes.
After the procedure, the tomato fruits will keep their nutritional value. The tomatoes are high in lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C. The final products may contain up to 2–6% of salt and could provide a significant contribution to the day's intake. Sun-dried tomatoes can be used in a wide variety of recipes and come in a variety of shapes, colors, and types of tomato. Traditionally, they were made from dried plum tomato, but they can be purchased in yellow varieties. Sun-dried tomatoes are also available in the form of Tomato paste or purées.
Sun-dried tomatoes are often preserved in sunflower oil or olive oil, sometimes along with other ingredients such as caper and garlic or with a variety of herbs.
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