Fruit salad is a simple yet refreshing dessert that is perfect to eat as we enjoy the last of the summer weather, but it often goes brown and soggy if you leave it out. Cutting up fruit is easy, but it tends to spoil quickly due to a process called oxidation, which is when the inner enzymes in fruit are exposed to air, which causes them to break down.
Fruit going through this process is still safe to eat, but even within an hour the fruit will start to taste sour, become slimy and have a sweet rotting smell that can attract flies. However, Lauren Allen, a cook and founder of Tastes Better from Scratch, has shared there is a method to preserve a fruit salad so it stays fresh and tasty, as all you need is a little lemon juice.
Lauren explained: “Keep your fruit from browning by choosing fruits that don’t brown easily. If you choose fruits that do brown (like apples or pears), toss them in lemon juice and add them to the salad just before serving. If you use bananas, slice and add to the top just before serving.”
Lemon juice contain two substances called citric acid and ascorbic acid (also known as vitamin C) which can block oxygen from reacting to the enzymes that cause fruit to begin turning fruit.
The acids in the juice also have mild antibacterial properties to will slow down any microbial growth, which also helps reduce the chances of spoilage.
If you drizzle cut fruit in lemon juice it will still look fresh and colourful for a few more hours so you can serve a fruit salad without worrying about spoilage.
However, lemon juice not only keeps cut fruit looking food, but the acids also heighten the natural flavours in fruit, so it will also taste a lot sweeter without having to add sugar.
How to make a tastier fruit salad that will stay fresh for longer
You will need:
- 450g of raspberries
- 450g of strawberries
- 450g of blueberries
- 300g of grapes
- 330g of pineapples
- One lemon (for juice and zest)
- Mint leaves (optional)
Method:
To begin, wash the fruit. Then, cut the strawberries into quarters and cut the pineapple into small chunks. Then, add all your fruit to a large bowl. If using raspberries, add them at the very end so they do not get squashed.
If you wish to add bananas, apples or pears then only put them in the fruit salad when you are going to serve it. These fruits oxidise very quickly, and if you mix them in too early then they are likely to just turn mushy and brown.
Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the bowl, and toss the fruit so everything is fully coated. Try to use fresh juice from a lemon if you can as it will be more potent.
Add the lemon zest and some chopped mint leaves to the fruit salad if you wish. Then, your zesty and tasty fruit salad is more likely to stay fresh for hours before you serve it.