Do you wait till the last minute to cut up fruits, in order to preserve valuable nutrients? Well, wait no more. A new study found that cutting and packaging fruit has no effect on its vitamins and other antioxidants—even when the diced fruit is kept for up to 9 days in the fridge!
Reporting in the May 12 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers found that fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, strawberries and kiwis retained most of their nutrients when cut before consumption. Compared to whole fruits, those that were diced and sliced were just as nutritious and still marketable anywhere from 6 to 9 days after being cut up. In general, the researchers concluded, “fresh-cut fruits will actually visually spoil before any significant nutrient loss occurs.”
This is great news for parents, who can now prepare fresh-fruit treats the night before for kids’ lunches or keep whole bags of healthy produce cut and ready for those late-night snacks!