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Fruit and vegetables Updated: 01 Jul 2010

Retaining nutrients

The nutrient content of fresh vegetables decrease during storage (even more so at higher temperatures than when they're kept chilled). English spinach, for example, retains only 53% of its folate and 54% of its carotene after just eight days stored at fridge temperature.

The substances that give the fruit and veg their flavours are also easily lost. As vegetables age, they can develop unpleasant smells and bitter flavours, and droop or get tough and woody.

Apples kept in cold storage for too long have less flavour and aroma, and they can go floury quickly unless you keep them in the fridge.

Frozen or canned?

Frozen vegetables retain most of their nutrients and can be more nutritious than "fresh" vegetables that have been transported over long distances.

Frozen peas, for example, typically have 60 percent more carotene than "fresh" peas, and the vitamin C content is comparable with fresh peas that have been stored and then cooked.

Canned vegetables and fruit also retain most of their original nutrients. They have less vitamin C, but the levels of dietary fibre, carotene and folate, for example, aren't much affected by the canning process.

Watch out for added salt in canned vegetables - look for low-salt or salt-free brands.