Before our food is available to us in food markets after industrial processing, it is subjected to long transportation routes. Transportation conditions have a strong impact on the nutritional and vital substance content (macro- and micronutrients) of the food. During transportation, food is often stored closely, in high volumes, and without adequate protection in harvest trucks and trucks. Improper handling – for example, exposing them to excessively high temperatures, too much and long exposure to light, and extreme pressure and stress conditions – damages the food, ultimately compromising its quality. This increases the risk of susceptibility to contaminants and food pests. The food is also exposed to atmospheric oxygen, which reacts with the ingredients of the food and gives rise to free radicals. These stress the defense mechanisms and lead to an increased consumption of the valuable antioxidants such as vitamins A, C and E and also accumulate in the food. After consumption, these free radicals in our body can destroy the cell membranes in addition to the sensitive nutrients and vital substances (macro- and micronutrients) and penetrate into the cell interior. There they can cause considerable damage by destroying the cell nucleus and DNA (genetic information) and other important cell components, as a result of which important metabolic processes can no longer function optimally. Cholesterol (blood fat) changes as a result of their action, making it easier for it to stick to artery walls and thus leading to atherosclerosis, i.e. hardening of the arteries. The dramatic consequences as a result of a high number of free radicals in food and thus in the body include cardiovascular diseases, cancer and an acceleration of the aging process. Increasing losses of nutrients and vital substances increase the sensitivity of food to toxic heavy metals from the environment, such as lead, nickel and mercury, which can thus accumulate more easily. Damaged food is subject to spoilage more quickly than undamaged food. A bruise on an apple, for example, will cause mold to grow more rapidly in that area than in any other.
