Jan 31 2009
Fresh-cut Fruit Retains High Levels of Vitamin C and Other Antioxidants
Fresh-cut fruits is one of the fastest growing food categories in U.S. supermarkets, but what effect does processing and storage have on the nutritional value of the fruit?
Surprisingly, an international team of scientists has found that cutting and packaging fruit had almost no affect on the main antioxidants.
Their report, published in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry, shows that fresh-cut fruit retains vitamin C and other healthful antioxidants after days on the shelf.
The researchers obtained pineapples, mangoes, cantaloupes, watermelons, strawberries and kiwifruits from wholesale commercial sources in California. The fruit was taken to a laboratory at the University of California in Davis. Half of each lot was processed as fresh-cut and half left whole.
Both lots were refrigerated under identical conditions for nine days and then tested for nutrient content. Tests showed only small losses of antioxidant compounds in the cut fruit compared to fruit left whole. Levels of some antioxidants in fresh-cut mango and watermelon actually increased due to exposure to light.
In general, researchers found that fresh-cut fruits visually spoil before any significant nutrient loss occurs.
Read other articles about the benefits of antioxidants for good eye health
SOURCE: Quality Changes and Nutrient Retention in Fresh-Cut versus Whole Fruits during Storage, Gil et al, J. Agric. Food Chem., 2006, 54 (12), pp 4284–4296.
Comments Off