Investigating the content of the most commonly bought supermarket fruit and vegetables, evidence from over 40 tests conducted within two studies established that in 66% of cases, frozen fruit and vegetables had higher nutritional levels of antioxidant-type compounds, including vitamin C, polyphenols, anthocyanins, lutein and b carotene, on day three of storage.
On this basis, researchers recommended frozen fruit and vegetables as effective in providing antioxidants needed to maintain a healthy diet.
Over the last two decades, it has widely been reported that antioxidants in diet can help to keep the immune system healthy by cancelling out the cell-damaging effects of free radicals. In two separate studies conducted by the University of Chester and Leatherhead Food Research, scientific researchers:
Professor Graham Bonwick of the University of Chester’s Environmental Quality and Food Safety Research Unit, who led one of the studies, said: “Our data concluded that the concentrations of antioxidant compounds measured in frozen resembled those observed in corresponding fresh produce prior to refrigerated storage. However, unlike frozen, some fresh produce concentrations exhibited a decrease during refrigerated storage to levels below those observed in the corresponding frozen produce. The effects were most noticeable in soft fruits.”
At Leatherhead Food Research, author of the second study Dr Rachel Burch said: “These results demonstrate that frozen can be nutritionally comparable to ‘fresh’ produce. We must disregard the mistaken opinion that ‘fresh’ food is always better for us than frozen food.”
Both reports were commissioned by the British Frozen Food Federation.
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