A process for preserving and augmenting the flavor of a piece of cut fresh produce (i) which is intended to be stored under a predetermined set of storage conditions at below 20°C and consumed a predetermined period of time after the fresh produce from which it is made has been cut, the process comprising contacting the cut piece of fresh produce with an aqueous preservative composition (ii) thereby producing a preserved cut piece of fresh produce, the aqueous preservative composition comprising calcium ascorbate, calcium erythrobate or a mixture thereof, and impregnating the preserved cut piece of fresh produce with one or more flavor augmenting chemicals which are the same as the flavor-producing chemicals that are lost from the preserved cut piece of fresh produce as a result of being stored for the predetermined period of time under the predetermined storage conditions (iii) in an amount which is sufficient to replace the flavor notes that are anticipated to be lost from the preserved cut piece of fresh produce as a result of being stored for the predetermined period of time under the predetermined storage conditions but not so much as to introduce foreign flavor notes into the preserved cut piece of fresh produce, to obtain a cut preserved and flavor augmented cut fresh produce product, wherein the identity and amount of the one or more flavor augmenting chemicals is determined by (a) carrying out a first chemical analysis on a first test sample, this first test sample comprising a piece of the same fresh produce as produce (i), thereby identifying the particular flavor-producing chemicals responsible for imparting flavor to this fresh produce, this first chemical analysis being carried out immediatelyafter cutting the fresh produce forming this first test sample, wherein "immediately after cutting" is understood to mean soon enough after cutting so that a noticeable change or loss in flavor does not occur, (b) carrying out a second chemical analysis on a second test sample, this second test sample also comprising a piece of the same fresh produce as produce (i) as well as a preservative (ii), the identity and amount of this preservative (ii) in this second test sample being the same as the identity and amount of the preservative (ii) in said cut fresh produce product, the second test sample also having been stored under the same predetermined storage conditions as the cut fresh produce product intended to be stored, and (c) comparing the results of the chemical analysis of step (a) with the results of the chemical analysis of step (b) to determine the identities and amounts of flavor-producing chemicals that are anticipated to be lost from the piece of fresh produce as a result of cutting and storage for the predetermined period of time. contacting the cut piece of fresh produce with an aqueous preservative composition (ii) thereby producing a preserved cut piece of fresh produce, the aqueous preservative composition comprising calcium ascorbate, calcium erythrobate or a mixture thereof, and impregnating the preserved cut piece of fresh produce with one or more flavor augmenting chemicals which are the same as the flavor-producing chemicals that are lost from the preserved cut piece of fresh produce as a result of being stored for the predetermined period of time under the predetermined storage conditions (iii) in an amount which is sufficient to replace the flavor notes that are anticipated to be lost from the preserved cut piece of fresh produce as a result of being stored for the predetermined period of time under the predetermined storage conditions but not so much as to introduce foreign flavor notes into the preserved cut piece of fresh produce, to obtain a cut preserved and flavor augmented cut fresh produce product, (a) carrying out a first chemical analysis on a first test sample, this first test sample comprising a piece of the same fresh produce as produce (i), thereby identifying the particular flavor-producing chemicals responsible for imparting flavor to this fresh produce, this first chemical analysis being carried out immediatelyafter cutting the fresh produce forming this first test sample, wherein "immediately after cutting" is understood to mean soon enough after cutting so that a noticeable change or loss in flavor does not occur, (b) carrying out a second chemical analysis on a second test sample, this second test sample also comprising a piece of the same fresh produce as produce (i) as well as a preservative (ii), the identity and amount of this preservative (ii) in this second test sample being the same as the identity and amount of the preservative (ii) in said cut fresh produce product, the second test sample also having been stored under the same predetermined storage conditions as the cut fresh produce product intended to be stored, and (c) comparing the results of the chemical analysis of step (a) with the results of the chemical analysis of step (b) to determine the identities and amounts of flavor-producing chemicals that are anticipated to be lost from the piece of fresh produce as a result of cutting and storage for the predetermined period of time.