Cooking affects the type of food being cooked. Whereas some types of raw food have an acceptable outcome while being prepared, others may not. In this brief article, we will highlight the impact of cooking on the nutrients in a portion of food. This will make you aware of your food menu even if you are on a culinary travel with International Kitchen.
Vitamin C
This vitamin is highly heated sensitive and is the one that decreases the most with cooking. After 25 minutes of cooking at 100 ºC, it is calculated that 50% of this vitamin is lost, passing a high percentage to the cooking water. This vitamin is also affected by exposure to light and oxygen, so the fresher, the better the vegetable. On the other hand, point out that steaming is the least aggressive cooking for this vitamin. For example, by cooking raw spinach with an initial value of 435 mg/kg of vitamin C, a content of 339 mg/kg was reached after steaming and 74 mg/kg by boiling in water, therefore marking a very notable difference in favor of cooking.
Folic acid or vitamin B9
Folic acid is susceptible to light and heat and dissolves in cooking water easily. It is estimated that about half of the folic acid from food passes into the cooking water. This vitamin is most affected by boiling and pressure cooking. For example, it was observed that green beans lost 26% of their folic acid in a 10-minute boil, and spinach 94% in a 15-minute boil. On the other hand, with the same amount of vegetables, steamed the results were very different: cooking the green beans for 30 minutes, there was no loss of folic acid, and in the spinach steamed for 20 minutes, there was a loss of 14 %.
Carotenoids
Moderately cooking food increases the extraction of carotenoids from vegetables, including green leafy vegetables, especially in the presence of a fat such as olive oil. When cooking food, heat modifies the plant’s cell walls, allowing the release of carotenoids and improving their absorption. This is especially the case if we cook fast or moderately, such as a wok stir fry or a short steam cook. For example, beta-carotene in carrots, lycopene in tomatoes, or the antioxidant activity of corn are increased once moderately cooked. More information in the following article: Beta – carotene: Vitamin A source.
