A nutritionist on Thursday said that cut fruit kept in the refrigerator for a day does not lose any significant nutritional value.
A study published in an agriculture and food chemistry journal showed that six types of fresh fruit cut according to hygienic standards, put in containers and refrigerated at 5oC had not lost nutrients the next day, Chi Mei Medical Center’s Chu En-chi (朱恩琪) said.
The study showed that there were only significant losses of Vitamin C and carotenoid — responsible for colors in some fruit — after the fruits were refrigerated for six days, but the decreases were no more than 25 percent, Chu said.
No significant amount of polyphenols was lost, she said.
However, Chu said that freshly cut fruit should be kept in sealed containers when refrigerated, because fruit exposed to air can be contaminated by bacteria and recommended that fruit be eaten within three days of being cut.
Chu also said there is no clear scientific evidence to show that eating meals that have been refrigerated overnight leads to a higher risk of cancer.
Some vegetables, such as amaranth, bok choy, lettuce and rape, as well as processed meat and seafood, have concentrations of nitrates, Chu said.
Nitrates can become sodium nitrite, which might be carcinogenic, but meals do not usually have excessive amounts of nitrates, so there is no need to be overly concerned, she added.
Meat and seafood should be cooked thoroughly, while cold-dressed dishes are not recommended for meals that are kept overnight, as they are more prone to bacterial contamination if they are not stored properly, Chu said.
Eating a reheated meal might not taste as good as a freshly cooked dish and some antioxidant nutrients might be lost during the heating process, so it is best to finish a meal within two days of it being cooked, she said.
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