Is the fruit cooked and eaten without nutrition?

Ruan Quang Feng, Director of Science and Technology Communication Department, Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Fruits are boiled in water and baked in the oven, delicious and warm the stomach, which is a popular autumn and winter diet strategy
promoted by many food experts.
But some people believe that eating it this way will lead to the loss
of many nutrients in the fruit.
So, can boiled (roasted) cooked fruit be non-nutritious?

After the fruit is boiled (roasted), some nutrients will indeed be lost, but some nutrients may be increased, not only with unique flavor, but also have a good tonic effect
.
Therefore, whether the fruit is suitable for boiling (roasting) cooked and eating also needs to be treated differently and cannot be generalized
.

After the fruit is heated, the cell wall of the peel and pulp is destroyed, and a large amount of water (juice) flows out, especially those fruits with thin skin and easy to break, and the shape and taste change greatly
after heating.
At the same time, heating or boiling will lose vitamin C
that is not heat-resistant.
From this point of view, some nutrients will indeed be lost
.
However, other nutrients in many fruits, such as potassium, magnesium, pectin, and organic acids, are high-temperature resistant components and generally will not be lost, so fruits still have nutritional value
after cooking.

Many times, fruit heating may also enhance its nutritional effect, mainly in two aspects
.
First, phenolic substances in fruits may increase
.
Phenols are a potentially health-promoting compound in fruits, and although heating destroys some phenols, it also reduces the degradation
of phenolics under the action of enzymes.
In particular, heating can destroy the tissue structure of fruit cells and allow more phenolic substances to be
released.
Second, the total oxidation resistance may be enhanced
.
The antioxidant substances in fruits include various natural pigments (carotenoids, lycopene, etc.
), phenols and flavonoids, although the total amount is reduced after heating, they can be released from the bound state to become free, enhance antioxidant activity, are all substances that help human health
.

Because the cell wall of the boiled (roasted) fruit is destroyed, it is easier for the body to digest and absorb
the nutrients.
At the same time, it can also reduce the stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract by dietary fiber and other ingredients, especially suitable for people with unsound digestive ability, such as the elderly, children and people who are weak
.

The pectin, dietary fiber and other substances rich in fruits can be better accepted
for people with poor stomach after boiling (roasting) or heating.
If you want to eat hot fruit, you can boil or bake it with confidence, and you don't have to worry too much about the loss
of nutrients.

Of course, not all fruits are suitable for hot consumption
.
Such as pears, apples, peaches, these fruits themselves are relatively crisp and hard, rich in phenolic antioxidants, but vitamin C is not its nutritional highlights, heating to eat little loss of nutrients, small stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract, good
taste.
If it is a fruit rich in vitamin C such as kiwi fruit and fresh dates, it is not recommended to eat
it heated.

China Food News(November 17, 2022, Version 06)

(Responsible editor: Zhu Meiqiao)