Introduction
One way to make fruits and vegetables more convenient is to pre-cut and pack them or remove them as soon as you bring them home. However, cutting, slicing, chopping, or inhaling fruits and vegetables may reduce their nutritional value. Learn what you can do to get the most out of your products though this blog post.
Fruit Cutting Leads to Lose of Vitamins
The three factors that lead to nutrient loss are heat, oxygen and light. The interiors of uncut products are protected from oxygen and light, but are exposed when cut. The nutrients that get lost due to the cutting of fruits and vegetables are probably vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E. These vitamins are antioxidants that react with the atmospheric oxygen. Peels and cups of vegetables and fruits naturally preserve the antioxidant vitamins inside. Once you break down the protective shields, the meat inside is exposed to air and lowers the concentration of antioxidant vitamins. Vitamin C is miscible in water, which you can use to clean cut products as it is easier to light in liquids or water released after cutting. Vitamins taken in fat, such as vitamin D, are not easily absorbed.
Why Cutting Leads to Vitamin Loss?
Cutting also increases the level of respiration, resulting in the breakdown of sugars in the product and the release of carbon dioxide. It is a rapid deterioration process and results in a change in the taste and texture of the product. Lower temperatures help slow breathing, so pre-cut products need to be refrigerated. For fruits and vegetables with edible skins or rings, it is best to eat them intact so that you get to eat all the nutrients and fibers in them. Potatoes, carrots and cucumbers, for example, can be washed with water and can be used for eating purpose..
Store fruits and vegetables to retain the most nutritional value
The best way to store fruits and vegetables is to leave them unattended or intact until the day you eat them. You don’t have to wait until the last minute to eat your products, but store them in air-tight containers in your refrigerator after you’ve cut them. It is also best if you leave them in large chunks. Less surface area means less oxygen exposure and more vitamin retention.
Careful Cutting
Use a sharp knife when you cut vegetables or fruits. A sharp knife, as opposed to a sophisticated blade, does not damage the products too much. As a result, there is less calcium and less potassium leakage, and nill off-odors. Also, use a clean knife so that you are not introducing bacteria or mould, which will lead to stinging smell.
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