Fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods are packed with ingredients in addition to vitamins, minerals, and fiber. From anthocyanins (the red pigment in strawberries and cherries) to allylic sulfides (which are responsible for the pungent flavor of garlic and onions), these compounds, which are also known as phytochemicals, may be responsible for some of the disease-preventing effects of fruits and vegetables.

Phytochemicals have no nutritive value - that is, they are not vitamins or minerals - but they may have positive effects on the body over the long term. Possible beneficial effects include inhibiting tumor formation, preventing blood clots, blocking the cancer-promoting effect of certain hormones, and lowering cholesterol levels.

While fresh-cut fruits from the supermarket are one of modern life’s conveniences, there’s been concern that cutting might lessen the amount of nutrients you’ll get from eating these fruits. Not so, according to the results of a recent study, reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (Volume 54, page 4284).

The researchers looked at fresh-cut and whole pineapples, mangoes, cantaloupes, watermelons, strawberries, and kiwifruits that were stored for up to nine days at 41? F. Most of the fruits still looked fresh for about a week after cutting. While kiwifruit lasted less than six days, pineapple, cantaloupe, and strawberries lasted six to nine days, and watermelon and mango lasted over nine days.

After six days, the fresh-cut fruits retained 75-95 percent of their vitamin C content, 75-100 percent of their carotenoids, and all of their phenolics. Mango, strawberry, and watermelon pieces retained the most vitamin C, and kiwifruit and watermelon didn’t lose any carotenoids. Exposure to light affected some fruits, leading to browning of pineapple pieces and a loss of vitamin C in kiwifruit slices. Based on these findings, feel free to take advantage of fresh-cut fruit. They are likely to look spoiled before any significant nutrient loss occurs.

Used with permission. For further information, see Johns Hopkins Medicine 2008 Nutrition and Weight Control White Paper, http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/white_papers/nutrition_weight_control_wp/digital08_landing.html, by Simeon Margolis, MD, PhD.