WJEC GCSE Food and Nutrition: Revision Guide

88 Choosing fruit and vegetables Always choose fruit and vegetables that are ‘fresh’ looking with a good colour and are not blemished, bruised, wilted or damaged. Eat the produce as soon as possible after purchase and store in either a cool, dry place or the salad drawer in the fridge. Muddy root vegetables will keep for several months in a cold shed or garage. All fruit and vegetables spoil very quickly if stored in plastic packaging. Processing and preservation Many fresh fruit and vegetables quickly spoil and decay. They are often processed and preserved to increase the shelf life and give us all-year-round availability. Bacteria, moulds and yeast spoilage are controlled by removing the moisture or oxygen, using heat/cold or altering the pH with sugar, salt or vinegar. 9 State three qualities you should look for when buying tomatoes. 10 Why do fruit and vegetables spoil more quickly if stored in plastic bags? Grade boost Can you explain the following? • What happens at each step of the canning process? • Why are many green, leafy vegetables packaged in MAP? Drying – fruit and herbs Canning and bottling – fruits and vegetables UHT cartons – juices MAP – bags of salad leaves and fruit Freezing – fruit and vegetables Do these look like tomatoes you should be buying? Methods of preservation – make sure you can name them all! COMMODITIES