Which of the following factors does NOT affect nutrient retention in food?

Nutrient retention in food is influenced by various factors, including cooking time, temperature, and methods of preservation. These elements play a critical role in how much of the original nutrients are maintained in food through processing or cooking.

Cooking time relates to how long food is exposed to heat; longer cooking times can lead to greater nutrient losses, particularly for heat-sensitive vitamins such as vitamin C and some B vitamins. Similarly, the temperature used during cooking is significant because higher temperatures can degrade nutrients more rapidly. For example, boiling vegetables at high heat can cause water-soluble vitamins to leach out into the cooking water.

Methods of preservation, such as freezing, can help retain nutrients better than cooking or other forms of processing since they typically limit enzyme activity and oxidative processes that lead to nutrient degradation.

The color of the food, while it may indicate nutrient density or quality, does not affect nutrient retention in the cooking or preservation processes themselves. Therefore, this factor does not play a role in how much of the nutritional value is retained after food preparation or processing.