Mariani - Probiotic Variety Pack - (Pack of 4) - Pitted Prunes, Apricots, Berries & Plums - Supports Immune & Digestive Health - Gluten Free, Vegan, Resealable Bag - Healthy Snack for Kids & Adults

I bought a package of Mariani probiotic prunes in Stop and Shop. They were so delicious I went to Amazon to order more. I chose an assortmentt of mixed dried fruit: 2 prunes, 1 apricot, 1 mixed berry. I have only opened one of the prune packets but the product is dry and hard, completely unlike the plump and juicy prunes I tasted in my first experience with Mariani. What can explain the difference? Amazon product too old?

Three of 4 packages had a best used by date of August 2019 when they arrived on July 24, 2019. The best used by date of the 4th package was April 2019. Very disappointing.

Were quite dry instead of moist and chewy. ..a bit of aftertaste. When I tried to order again were discontinued.

Contains active live cultures/probiotic Bacillus Coagulans GBI-30, 6086 which typically used reduces exercise-induced muscle damage and increases recovery, but also support healthy digestive and immune function which this products advertise. Good snack to consume is you want to increase your gut flora. The live cultures are on the bottom of the ingredients list, so if you're only looking for these, best to get a supplement insteadOnto the food itself. If you ever had raisins before; the Berry & Plum variety resembles it quite well in taste, size and texture. In fact the cranberries, cherries, raisins , blueberries and plums are somewhat hard to pick out seeing resemblance in color and size.The other two variety (Apricot, Prunes) on the other hand are much larger in size, and need requires more chewing.Although a good source of fiber and vitamins, these are really high in carbohydrates and added sugar. Something to keep in my if you're diabetic or looking after you weightLike raisins; these are dry, but moist. You will get sticky fingers if you eat them as finger food; so best to have a napkin, moist towelette or running water around especially if you're planning to type an essay, play on a video game controller, text, or need something to snack on while waiting at a stop light.Resealable bag is very good. Had no issues with it, forms a tight seal for freshness. In fact it has this really nice dot matrix pattern i never seen before. Works better than zip lock bags in my opinion.Overall very good bundle if you don't mind the added sugar content. Price can also be very high, but note that it is a premium product with active cultures included.

The box that I received only had three bags instead of four, and it was missing the apricots - so I can only speak to the prunes and berry mix versions.The prunes are nice and moist, and they certainly aren't dried out and hard like some. I buy prunes fairly often. These have a little different flavor to them than I'm used to, mostly in the aftertaste. Not all bags of prunes taste identical, so it might just be that - or it might be the probiotic that they add in. It's not a bad taste, by the way. It's just a little different.The berry mix tastes pretty good, but they are drier overall (to be expected, with dried cherries and raisins). I'm not a fan of all of the added sugar in that mix, though, so I took away one star. I'd rather just have the fruit. The sugar doesn't make it super sweet and I know it's there to offset the tartness, but I would prefer it not be included.I wish that I could have tried the apricots as they are one of my favorite dried fruits. The label on the box stated that it was the four-bag pack, but I only received three bags. The nice thing about Amazon is that they'll make it right if that happens to you.As someone who buys dried fruit pretty often, I'd put these in the ~$3.50/bag price range for the fruit alone. Only you can decide if the probiotics are worth the price premium (prices change often, but these are listed as over $6/bag as I write this - that's too much, IMO).

I confess to being freaked out at first at the idea of dried fruit with added bacillus coagulans for its probiotic effects. I feared a medicinal taste or, well, something weird about it. No worries! I cannot detect anything different between Mariani dried fruit and any other. The fruit, even the apricots, have moist exteriors, and are all plump and flavorful, with no noticeable flavor from anything other than the fruit. Based on the ingredients -- nothing more than fruit, b. coagulans, and normal dried fruit preservatives-- these seem to be vegan, giving vegans a way to get probiotics into their systems through food since they cannot eat yogurt. There's an allergy warning that they may contain trace amounts of soy.All varieties taste good, although my favorite is the apricots, only because I like dried apricots better than dried prunes and mixed berries/raisins/prunes (a.k.a. "plums".) Each serving has all the fiber and nutrients of regular dried fruit because it is, of course, regular dried fruit.I'm a convert to these probiotic fruits, even if I continue to harbor some hesitation before digging in.-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann

So these fruits are marketed as being probiotic, to promote "Wellness and digestive health." I am dubious of these claims, especially when they are coupled with a 45% price premium over "regular" dried fruits. Some rudimentary googling returns this result - According to Scientific American, on July 1, 2017: "Although certain bacteria help treat some gut disorders, they have no known benefits for healthy people"OK, all that said, I would term these dried fruits average. The apricots are plump and juicy and overall quite pleasing. The cranberries, on the other hand, are a bit dry and mealy. The raising are average, as are the prunes.Overall, I recommend sticking with the non-probiotic variety of these dried fruits. Spend your extra two dollars per bag elsewhere.