Consumption of vegetables and fruits – an examination of benefits, limitations, and nutritional profile alterations in the context of processing and transportation
Lena Bauer
2026-03-19
4 min. read
34
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The extensive assortment of vegetables and fruits available on the market empowers consumers to select food items aligned with their personal culinary preferences, financial constraints, and cultural or religious dietary requirements. These products represent an indispensable source of essential micronutrients—including water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, bioactive compounds with health-promoting properties, and dietary fiber fractions—whose highest concentrations are typically observed in the outer layers immediately beneath the epidermis or within deeper cellular structures of the pulp. Nevertheless, the global distribution of fresh plant-based commodities frequently necessitates the application of synthetic preservatives or spoilage inhibitors, raising concerns among professionals in the fields of nutrition science, dietetics, and environmental protection. Against this backdrop, a fundamental question emerges: Does the mechanical removal of vegetable and fruit peels prior to consumption genuinely yield greater benefits, or does it instead result in an unwarranted loss of valuable nutritional components?
Harvesting vegetables and fruits fiber
If the average Polish apple consumes about 5 g of fiber per day, whereas the correct diet should provide it from 2540 g per day. Fiber, or food fiber, is resistant to plant-based enzymes. Therefore, vegetables, whole grain products (unrefined) and fruit, which are a valuable source of fiber in the Polish population, can be consumed on average. The highest content of organic food fiber is located in the product, which is primarily made from the products of the vegetable crops, as well as from the crops and crops of the skin and vegetables.
Harvesting of vegetables and fruits Mineral ingredients, vitamins, flavonoids
Flawonoids are a group of chemical compounds synthesized by plants in full sun, which give them a specific, characteristic bioactive substance, which is produced by the plant as a natural protection against adverse environmental conditions and bacteria, fungi, parasites. These include flavonoids, among others. However, they also give them their specific, distinctive characteristics. They are also stored in the vacuoles of the cells of the citrus plant (ginger, citrus or citrus fruits), the composition of the fruits of the plant (puppies, legumes), herbs, shellfish, and other edible vegetables.
Is it even the vegetables and fruits that you have to pick?
Certain vegetables and fruits should be picked because the skin is inedible and sometimes contains poisonous substances. Fruits to pick are: bananas, blueberries, mangoes, melons, peaches, pomegranates, pineapples, oranges, grapefruit, mandarins. Citrus fruits have a high fiber content, are in the white structures of the fruit, so it is recommended to consume them with fruit juices. Vegetables that can be eaten with the skin: potatoes, potato, sugar juices, bacon, carrots, legumes or pasta.