Expert: Carol Schlitt - 1/9/2008

Question
QUESTION: How does one wash a bunch of grapes. We are told to wash uncooked fruit,
but seeing what most people do, is just a quick rinse. Is there anything wrong
in a basin of water with a couple mls of detergent or pure soap, then rinsed?

ANSWER: Hi Wendy,

As detergent and soap are not designed for human consumption, the recommendation is to not wash fruits and vegetables in these products.

Amazingly, the recommendation for washing smooth skinned fruits like grapes is to rinse under running water. Fruits and vegetables with rough skins should be washed using a vegetable brush.  Specifically designed vegetable/fruit washes have been marketed and the current research indicates that washing with water is just as affective for removing dirt as these products.

While it may seem like you should use more than just water, the current recommendation is just that.  

Carol


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I guess I was wanting to be more specific as to how long under running water
to rid the fruit free of contaminants as would be demonstrated by an expert.
What I am suggesting is not based on science, but a basin of water containing
a little pure soap (or detergent?) - to break down a waxy or oily coating,
jiggled, then rinsed under running water would, I think be a better option. If a
group of people were asked to render the fruit clean by washing under
running water, I think the variation in running water time would be great with
vastly different final results.

Answer
Hi again,

The reason it is not recommended to use soap or bleach to wash fruits is that some fruit surfaces can absorb these solutions. It would then be possible that washing under clean water would not remove all of the soap or bleach residue.  Thus the reason for the recommendation to wash in water or solutions designed for human consumption.

If you are wanting something to add to the water to increase surfactant properties (that's what soap does in water) then I would suggest using vinegar as it is a product designed for human consumption.  If you use 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water to wash the fruit and then rinse under clean water, you will be removing as much dirt and any trace pesticides as possible.

As far as time, the only reference I could find in regards to washing tender fruits like peaches, grapes or cherries was the recommendation to soak these fruits for 1 minute before rinsing under cold water.

Hope this answers your question.  Please let me know if you have further concerns.

Carol