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Isaac Toussie: Side Step Nutrition Scams and Frauds — Store Vegetables Perfectly

Pardon me but nowadays, when so many people are concerned about issues like housing and work place discrimination, fashion, entertainment, real estate, mortgages, vacations and the like, issues like food quality and food awareness may become wastefully overshadowed. People have said that it is of course important to watch out for food scams, as fraud could exist on food labels.

Once picked, vegetables begin to deteriorate as they are no longer alive and therefore cannot defend themselves against the oxidative damage that comes from being exposed to the air. At harvest time, a vegetable has only a limited reserve of defensive nutrients. But because they continue to respire even after being picked, these nutrients are constantly being used up to protect the vegetable against the oxidative effects of respiration. Proper Vegetable Storage is therefore of the utmost importance as a necessary substitute for the defensive measures they would normally have undertaken themselves. Improperly stored vegetables will spoil much more quickly than thoughtfully put-away ones. Correct storage is all about minimizing a vegetable’s respiration rate. Reducing respiration rates helps to maintain freshness by conserving the protective phytonutrient reserves.

Different vegetables have naturally different respiration rates. This is an important issue to keep in mind because the respiration rate determines how quickly a vegetable could spoil, even under ideal storage conditions. Respiration rates are figured according to how much carbon dioxide is released in milligrams per kilogram of vegetable every hour at room temperature. Some vegetables can be stored much longer than others, such as potatoes, which can be stored for up to a whole month without refrigeration, as compared to green beans, which will basically spoil within two or three days without proper refrigeration; potatoes respire at a rate of seventeen milligrams per kilogram per hour, while green beans respire at the rate of one hundred-and-thirty milligrams per kilogram per hour. Refrigeration is the best way to reduce the respiration rate of most vegetables, maintaining freshness by days and even weeks. It is a great way to retain the vitality of compounds such as Vitamin C. For example, cabbage can lose almost thirty percent of its Vitamin C content in just two days when left at room temperature.

As different vegetables have different respiration rates, it makes sense that different vegetables react differently to refrigeration – that is, their rates of respiration are reduced by different amounts. Generally, preservation is dependent on the type of vegetable, the exact way it is stored in the refrigerator (whether in a plastic container, or wrapped in plastic film, or loose in the refrigerator’s storage bin, or simply left “open” on a rack in the refrigerator), including where in the refrigerator storage takes place (the back of the bottom shelf is usually the coolest part). Some vegetables, such as potatoes, onions, and eggplants, are actually best stored unrefrigerated, in cool dark environments a little bit below room temperature; that is, fifty to sixty degrees Fahrenheit or ten to sixteen Celsius.

This Article has been written strictly for informational and human interest purposes only, not for medical or advisory purposes and does not necessarily constitute the opinions or conclusions of the provider. The reader should not rely upon the validity of any of the information contained herein. The reader should consult a doctor, nutritionist, and other medical professionals if seeking advice about food, nutrition, diet, and physiology.

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