Sulphured Dried Apricots

Sulphured dried apricots — spelled sulfured in American English and known in Turkish as kukurtlu kayisi — are the bright orange dried apricots that dominate supermarket shelves worldwide. They are produced almost entirely in Malatya in eastern Turkey, which grows the overwhelming majority of the world's dried apricots, making Turkish origin the global benchmark for both quality and volume. Whether a buyer searches for sulphured or sulfured apricots, this is the same product: whole dried apricots treated with food-grade sulphur dioxide to preserve their vivid colour and soft, moist texture.

The defining feature is colour. Without treatment, dried apricots naturally darken to a deep brown as their sugars oxidise (this is the natural sun-dried apricot, or gun kurusu). Treating the fruit with sulphur dioxide (SO2) before drying inhibits that browning reaction, so the apricot keeps the bright orange appearance that most retail consumers expect. SO2 also acts as a preservative, extending shelf life and keeping the fruit soft and pliable rather than hard.

Sulphur dioxide is a regulated additive, so responsible Malatya exporters control the residual SO2 level to the destination market's legal limit — the EU, Gulf states, United States and other regions each set their own maximum — and supply a residue analysis with every lot. SO2 must be declared on the label as an allergen. Buyers can specify the target ppm and colour intensity, and lots are tested to confirm compliance before shipment, which is essential for a product sold into strictly regulated markets.

Sulphured apricots are graded by size on a numeric scale from No.1 (the largest, most premium fruit) down to No.8 (smaller grades used for industrial dicing and bakery). The fruit is pitted (stone removed), calibrated by size, colour-sorted, metal-detected and packed. Larger, brighter grades command the highest prices in premium retail and gift packs, while smaller grades feed the bakery, confectionery and food-manufacturing trades. Buyers specify grade by count-per-500g and by colour, so a single harvest is fractionated into several export lines.

Applications are broad. Bright orange sulphured apricots are the standard for supermarket retail packs and gift assortments, snacking pouches, and food-service, where appearance sells; they are also stewed, poached, stuffed, and used in tagines and desserts. Smaller and diced grades go into bakery (apricot Danish, muffins, energy bars), confectionery, cereals and mueslis. For manufacturers, sulphured apricots offer consistent colour and moisture that natural apricots cannot match, which is why they remain the dominant format in global trade.

Buyers choosing between formats usually weigh sulphured against natural. Sulphured (sulfured) apricots are bright orange, soft and moist with a mild flavour and long shelf life; natural sun-dried apricots (gun kurusu) are dark brown with a deeper, more caramelised flavour and no SO2, favoured by clean-label and organic brands. For a certified no-SO2 option, organic dried apricots are the natural choice. Malatya's protected-origin apricots underpin all of these formats. Many importers stock both a sulphured line for mainstream retail and a natural or organic line for the health-food channel.

Turkish sulphured dried apricots ship in bulk 5 kg, 10 kg and 12.5 kg cartons for repacking, plus retail cartons and pouches from 200 g upward, with private-label and own-brand retail packaging widely offered. Processing takes place under BRC/IFS-audited food-safety systems, and shipments to the EU carry A.TR or EUR.1 movement certificates. FromTurk connects importers, wholesalers, repackers and confectioners directly with verified Malatya sulphured apricot exporters, so you can compare grade, colour and SO2 specification, request samples, and confirm bulk or private-label packaging before ordering.

Compare apricot types: natural sun-dried apricots (gun kurusu), organic dried apricots (SO2-free), jumbo dried apricots, diced dried apricots and apricot kernels, or read the Malatya IGP apricots guide and browse all Turkish food suppliers.

Ready to source? Browse verified Turkish suppliers or submit a free RFQ to get quotes from multiple dried apricot exporters within 24-48 hours.