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REFRIGERATION

Food storage

How to store cut fruit and fruit salads

Whole fruit is protected by its peel. Cutting exposes sweet, moist flesh to bacteria from the skin, knives, boards and hands, and fruit is usually eaten raw, with no cooking step. Cut melon, papaya and similar low-acid fruits are particularly vulnerable. Even fruit that should not be chilled whole, such as mango, banana or melon, must be chilled once it is cut. Hold all cut fruit at 0 to +4 °C, covered, and use it within the time your food-safety plan sets.

  • Chilled0 to +4 °C

Do

  • Wash whole fruit thoroughly in potable water before cutting, including melons and papayas whose skin is not eaten.
  • Use clean, sanitised knives and boards kept only for ready-to-eat food.
  • Cut fruit in small batches and chill it immediately in covered containers.
  • Squeeze a little lemon juice over apple, banana and pear to slow browning.
  • For buffets, serve cut fruit in small bowls set on ice or in a refrigerated display, and replace rather than top up.
  • Label containers with the time of cutting.
  • Keep cut fruit on upper shelves, above raw meat and seafood.
  • Keep a probe thermometer at the fruit counter and check the temperature of the fruit itself, not just the display reading, during long services.

Avoid

  • Do not leave cut fruit at room temperature on a juice counter or buffet for hours.
  • Do not top up old fruit salad with fresh fruit.
  • Do not cover cut fruit with damp cloth at room temperature.
  • Do not use the same board for raw chicken and fruit.

In Indian conditions

Cut-fruit stalls, juice bars and hotel breakfast buffets are everywhere in India, often in hot outdoor or semi-outdoor settings. Cut papaya, watermelon and pineapple attract flies and warm fast. A refrigerated display case with closed fronts or covered trays keeps cut fruit cold and protected. In 40 °C summers, holding cut fruit at ambient for more than a short period is a real risk. In the monsoon, wash whole fruit even more carefully, as surface contamination increases.

General good practice for commercial kitchens and shops. Where your FSSAI licence conditions or food-safety plan set stricter limits, follow those.