Frozen Fruits and Vegetables are Here, Do They Have the Same Nutritional Value as Fresh Fruits and Vegetables?
Frozen fruits and vegetables refer to ripe vegetables and fruits that are picked and immediately frozen at a rapid low temperature and instantaneously to make frozen packages. In the future they may become our new choice.
Have you heard of frozen fish and meat, have you heard of frozen fruits and vegetables? How are such frozen fruits and vegetables made? is it safe? What is the nutritional value? Next, the Frozen Fruit And Vegetable Suppliers will reveal the answers one by one.
how to make frozen fruits and vegetables?
Frozen fruits and vegetables are generally picked at peak maturity. After being picked, vegetables are often washed, bleached, cut, frozen and packaged within a few hours. Fruits are generally not blanched, but treated with ascorbic acid or sugar to prevent them from spoiling.
Because freezing can preserve food, no unnecessary additives will be added to the frozen food bag, which is relatively safe.
Frozen Broccoli
Does the freezing process cause nutrient loss?
Freezing is a good way to maintain the nutritional content of fruits and vegetables, but if it takes a long time, some nutrients in frozen products will begin to decompose, such as when frozen products are stored for more than one year.
During the blanching process, some nutrients may also be lost. The method of blanching is to put vegetables in boiling water for a few minutes. Although this period can kill harmful bacteria, it will also cause the loss of water-soluble nutrients, such as B vitamins and vitamin C. The degree of nutrient loss is different, depending on the type of vegetable and the length of blanching time. Generally speaking, the loss is between 10% and 80%, and the average is around 50%.
A study showed that although frozen products will lose water-soluble vitamins, they can still maintain their antioxidant activity. After freezing, the nutrient level will remain relatively stable under good storage conditions.
Will nutrients fall during storage?
In fact, for fresh fruits and vegetables, the nutritional value will decrease shortly after picking. Studies have found that after 3 days of refrigerating some common fruits, their nutritional value will drop below the level of frozen varieties. The vitamin C in fresh vegetables will begin to decline immediately after harvest, and continue to decline during storage. For example, 24-48 hours after harvest, green peas will lose 51% of their vitamin C.
Vegetables stored in cold storage or at room temperature will have reduced antioxidant activity. Although vitamin C is easily lost during storage, antioxidants such as carotenoids and phenols may actually increase. This may be due to continued ripening, which is visible in some fruits.
What is the nutritional value of frozen fruits and vegetables?
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia in the United States and the Frozen Food Foundation showed that frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables may have the same nutritional value, including frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, frozen cauliflower, Frozen Broccoli, frozen peas, and frozen Green beans and spinach etc.
Researchers used standardized analytical methods to check the concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin A and folic acid in the frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables described above. The results showed that there was no difference in vitamin content in the comparison between the nutritional content of frozen and fresh fruits and vegetables. Scientists also found that some of these frozen fruits and vegetables contain more vitamin C, vitamin A and folic acid than freshly stored products.
Which is more nutritious, fresh fruits and vegetables or frozen fruits and vegetables?
At present, there is no definitive research result on the debate over whether frozen products or fresh products are more nutritious. This is because some studies use freshly harvested produce, while others use supermarket produce. Differences in processing and measurement methods can also affect the results.
In general, freezing can preserve the nutritional value, and the nutritional content of fresh and frozen products is similar. In the purchase process, frozen products can basically be equivalent to the nutrition of fresh varieties. At the same time, Frozen Fruits and vegetables are also a good alternative to fresh products.
