Nutritional changes
Any reduction of vitamins in meals consumed in restaurants is unlikely to
be as important for customers as for those in institutional environments
and those who use a large proportion of ready meals in the home. The effect
of catering systems such as cook–chill and sous vide have been reviewed
and conclude that the advantages of the system in retaining vitamins com-
pared with conventionally-produced meals can often be lost during periods
of storage and reheating (Gate et al., 2002; Creed, 1998; Williams, 1996).
In addition to encouraging WOF, warmholding can also reduce nutri-
tional content. As an example, when fi sh are deep-fried and warm-held, the
oil used can be absorbed and change the ratio of fatty acids in the fi sh fl esh,
limiting the benefi cial effects of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
(Candela et al., 1997).