The reason why it is so important to eat five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day is because of the vitamins that they contain. Vitamin C can be found in most fruits and some vegetables and helps to improve the immune system. But the same piece of fruit can contain different amounts of these essential vitamins at different times within its life cycle. If the fruit is not yet ripe, it will have fewer vitamins. The same applies for if the fruit is allowed to go past that optimum ripeness- it begins to lose vitamins.

Sadly, fresh food can go off very quickly. Not only does it lose the essential vitamins and nutrients that we need as part of our healthy diet, but it does not taste as good and is not as crunchy. Liebherr BioFresh technology slows down the sprouting process and keeps food fresh and crunchy for three times as long.

There are several reasons why fruit and vegetables lose their vitamins. If you store fresh food for too long the vitamin levels will start to drop. When you are cooking, if you keep the fresh food hot for too long, the vitamin levels will begin to drop within just a few minutes.

Biofresh technology has been used mainly by potato growers as a way to extend the life of their crop. The technology uses natural gas to slow down the sprouting process, which is the main cause of potato spoilage. Liebherr Biofresh appliances use the same idea and cut out the need to store fruit and vegetables in a cool dark cupboard. The technology is cost effective and environmentally friendly.

The Liebherr BioFresh drawers, which are found in a range of Liebherr's domestic refrigerators, provide the perfect climate for keeping food fresher for longer. The temperature is maintained at just above 0°C. Fruit, vegetables, meat and fish have an optimum humidity level to retain their freshness. Liebherr Biofresh fridges supply fresh food with the environment that they need to stay fresh for up to three times longer than an average fridge compartment.

Heat and light can destroy vitamins in fresh food and it is important that they are stored at the right temperature. Freezing slows down the rate at which fresh food loses vitamins, but can be quite inconvenient if every time someone fancies a piece of fruit, they have to defrost it.

Different kinds of food need to be stored in different conditions in order to keep them fresh. Liebherr BioFresh refrigerators offer low humidity DrySafe sections, which are ideal for storing meat, fish and dairy products, but the fruit and vegetables are best kept at a high humidity in the HydroSafe sections.

Liebherr Biofresh models range in price from around £650 up to £2,250, depending upon where you buy from. The fridge- freezers are available as an upright or built- in appliance and all have an energy efficiency rating of either A or A+. The built- in appliances also come with the softstop feature, which cushions the slamming of the fridge door and makes it more child and teenager- resilient.