Is IQF Fruits&vegetables of higher nutrition than fresh fruits&vegetables?

Misunderstanding 1:

❌The most nutritious fruits and vegetables in the fresh section of the supermarket

Fatima Hachem, the senior nutrition officer at UN Food and Agriculture Organization, said that food is most nutritious when it is harvested, and fresh crops start to lose nutrients from the moment they are harvested.

Vegetables and fruits need to use their own nutrients to maintain cell life after they are picked. Some nutrients are particularly easy to lose, such as vitamin C that helps the body absorb iron and lower cholesterol, which is quickly lost when exposed to air and light.

 After the fresh fruits and vegetables are picked, they must be transported to the packaging factory for grading and packaging, and then distributed to various supermarkets. The transportation process will take a lot of time. In order to make the fruits and vegetables that arrive at the supermarket look more fresh, farmers will even pick them in advance. The nutrition is surely not as good as the naturally mature fruits and vegetables.

In addition, unsold fruits and vegetables in supermarkets that day are not processed immediately, and products that appear to be fresh may have been sitting for several days.

Misunde4rstanding 2:

❌ IQF fruits and vegetables unhealthy

IQF fruits and vegetables are considered unhealthy by many people because they are often paired with frozen quick meals/snacks.But in fact, frozen fruits and vegetables are not unhealthy added, and they tend to retain more nutrients.

Frozen fruits and vegetables are usually freshly-ripened produce that frozen after are picked by field processors, sometimes with minimal blanching of the skins to maximally retain their nutrients. Compared with the transportation and processing of fresh fruits and vegetables, the nutrient loss caused by the frozen process is much smaller.

Interestingly, some frozen fruits and vegetables are given vitamin C during the packaging process to prevent browning, and you may end up getting more of the vitamin from these frozen fruits and vegetables than from fresh fruits and vegetables.

What is the nutrient difference between fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables?

Some research findings from University of California–Davis:

1. Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables have similar amounts of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and minerals.

2. Fresh fruits and vegetables lose half of their vitamins and phytonutrients during storage (within a week).

3. Less fat-soluble vitamins A and E are lost during frozen packaging compared to water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C. That is to say, the vitamin A/E content of frozen fruits and vegetables is higher than that of fresh fruits and vegetables.

4. Frozen fruits and vegetables may contain more vitamins and phytonutrients than fresh fruits and vegetables that have been stored for several days, although additional cooking after thawing may shorten the gap.