Preservative in fruit salad

[zac510]

In the last couple of years I've found myself getting a bit of an allergy to pre-cut/pre-made fruit salad.

I think I've traced it to apple. While I can eat a normal whole apple fine I am suspecting that there's a preservative used on cut apple to stop it browning and spoiling the appearance of the fruit salad. Or it could be something else in the fruit salad but I have not ever experienced any reactions to fresh fruit on its own - only with pre-cut fruit salads.

Does anybody know more about this or experienced it themselves?

[jmorgan]

I make my own and put a dash of lemon juice on to stop apples browning. The lemon juice works for other fruit as well. The pre made stuff never seems quite right.

[zac510]

Yeah I know fresh stuff is better but sometimes you are fed the pre-made stuff. In my most recent case it was airplane food

[21TonyK]

Most tinned fruit salads are quite high in acids anyway so don't require preservatives but those that do, the most likely is ascorbic acid but your unlikely to be allergic to that as it's other name is vitamin C! Could it be potassium thats the problem?

[zac510]

I'm not talking about a tinned fruit salad but one you might find for sale at a sandwich bar. Probably made that day.

[Shaw Tarse]

zac510 said:

I'm not talking about a tinned fruit salad but one you might find for sale at a sandwich bar. Probably made that day.

I can't see why they would need to add preservatives?
I could be wrong, but is there something else triggering your allergic reaction ?

[zac510]

Well the apple in fruit salad will go brown within minutes when exposed to air and that looks bad to customers, yet when you buy the fruit salad the apple looks freshly cut. I presume they add something to it to keep it looking fresh but maybe not.

Yes it certainly could be something else but I've not narrowed it down just yet. It could be kiwi fruit too.

[PugwasHDJ80]

zac510 said:

I'm not talking about a tinned fruit salad but one you might find for sale at a sandwich bar. Probably made that day.

they are probably unwashed- a couple of friends have just become very allegric to unwashed apples- wonder if they've changed the pesticides?

[21TonyK]

The liquid in a fruit salad will be acidic (citric) and this would stop apple from browning. Can't see any need for artificial preservatives or inhibitors in a fresh fruit salad. Besides which, how many people know about the use of artificial or additional preservatives in catering (very, very few I know). I suspect theres something else involved.