While they’re generally cheaper (and last longer), could frozen and canned fruit be as nutritious as fresh fruit? In some cases, they would even be richer in certain nutrients.
Indeed, fruits and vegetables begin to lose nutrients as soon as they are picked: in just a few days, they can lose more than half of them. Vitamin C, contained in many fruits and vegetables, is one of those that disappears the fastest and can be reduced by half in just a few days. But why are nutrients lost after harvest? Exposure to light and air may cause photo-oxidationand therefore nutrient degradation.
This is where conservation methods come in. There freezing or canning prevent fruit spoilage and at the same time limit the amount of nutrients lost. Canning will add heat to foods to preserve them. With temperatures between 120 and 140°C, this destroys most microorganisms, preventing the fruit from spoiling.
Conversely, freezing removes the heat from the food: the water in the food freezes, which slows down the chemical reactions and again prevents important nutrients from being destroyed. Fruit is also often blanched before freezing, which inactivates enzymes responsible for nutrient loss.
No ingredient is better than another
Although some nutrients may be lost during the blanching, freezing, and canning processes, in many cases foods retain”even more important nutrients than they would if picked just before peak maturity and shipped to the destination supermarket”indicates to The Conversation Professor Günter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading. For example, frozen blueberries contain as many, if not more, nutrients than fresh versions, admits Professor Kuhnle.
In most cases “no type of food is significantly better than another”, he admits (with the exception of lycopene in tomatoes which limits cardiovascular risks and which is much higher in canned tomatoes). Indeed, if the preservation methods maximize the vitamin content, the taste or the texture can be altered by the freezing process.
“Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are a great way to get the nutritional benefits of fresh produce without breaking the bank.”, concludes the researcher. Be a more accessible and more sustainable alternative in this period of inflation. And no less good, as many people might think.
Source :
- Frozen and tinned foods can be just as nutritious as fresh produce – here’s how, The ConversationMarch 21, 2023
