What do fruit and vegetables give us, and how do we keep their nutrients when preparing them?
Fruit and vegetables as a commodity group: their classification, nutritional value (vitamins, minerals, fibre), enzymic browning, how to minimise vitamin loss in preparation and cooking, and how they are stored.
A focused answer on fruit and vegetables as a commodity group for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering their classification, nutritional value, enzymic browning, how to minimise vitamin loss during preparation and cooking, and how they are stored.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to know fruit and vegetables as a commodity group: how they are classified, their nutritional value, the problem of enzymic browning, how to keep their vitamins during preparation and cooking, and how they are stored.
Classification and value
They can be bought fresh, frozen, canned, dried or as juice. Frozen vegetables are often picked and frozen at their peak, so they can be as nutritious as fresh.
Enzymic browning
It is prevented by coating the cut surface in acid (lemon juice slows the enzyme), by keeping out air (covering, or submerging in water), or by blanching (a short heat treatment destroys the enzyme). Blanching before freezing is done for this reason.
Keeping the vitamins
Vitamin C is water-soluble and easily destroyed, so a lot can be lost in preparation and cooking. To keep as much as possible:
- Prepare vegetables just before cooking and do not soak them, because vitamin C dissolves into the water.
- Cut them into larger pieces to reduce the surface area exposed to air and water.
- Cook for the shortest time in the minimum water, or steam, microwave or stir-fry instead of boiling.
- Keep the lid on and serve straight away, because keeping food hot continues to destroy vitamin C.
Storage
Most fruit and vegetables are stored cool to slow ripening and spoilage. Salad and green vegetables keep best in the fridge; potatoes, onions and bananas are kept in a cool, dark, dry place (potatoes in the fridge can turn the starch sweet). They respire and ripen after picking, and ethylene gas from some fruit (such as bananas) speeds ripening of others, so they should be used while fresh.
Try this
Q1. Give three ways to reduce vitamin C loss when cooking vegetables. [3 marks]
- Cue. Cook for a short time, use little water (or steam), and serve straight away (any three valid methods).
Q2. Name one acid used to prevent enzymic browning of cut apple. [1 mark]
- Cue. Lemon juice (or any citrus juice / vinegar).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20186 marksExplain how vitamin C can be lost when preparing and cooking vegetables, and describe how a cook can reduce these losses.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark extended-response question. Mark it for the causes of loss plus practical solutions linked to each cause.
Vitamin C is water-soluble and easily destroyed, so it is lost by dissolving into cooking water, by heat, by exposure to air (oxidation) and by long storage. Cutting vegetables small and leaving them to stand exposes more surface area and increases loss.
A cook can reduce losses by preparing vegetables just before cooking and not soaking them, cutting them into larger pieces to reduce surface area, cooking them for the shortest time in the minimum water (or steaming, microwaving or stir-frying instead of boiling), keeping the lid on, and serving them straight away rather than keeping them hot.
Top-band answers (5 to 6 marks) name several causes (water, heat, air, time) and give a matching practical solution for each.
Eduqas 20204 marksExplain what enzymic browning is and describe two ways to prevent it when preparing fruit such as apples.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark structured question.
Enzymic browning is the brown discolouration that happens when a cut fruit or vegetable (such as apple, pear, banana or potato) is exposed to air. Enzymes in the food react with oxygen to form brown pigments.
It can be prevented by coating the cut surface in acid such as lemon juice (the acid slows the enzyme), by covering the food or submerging it in water to keep out air, or by blanching to destroy the enzyme with heat. Markers reward a correct definition (enzyme plus oxygen reaction) and any two valid prevention methods.
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition specification (C560) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)