Method of preparing a preserved fruit composition

The invention relates to a method of preparing a preserved fruit composition having a Brix value of 10° to 60°, a water content of at least 20 wt. % and a pH in the range of 3.0 to 4.2, said method comprising:providing a non-preserved fruit composition having a total water content of at least 15 wt. % and comprising not more than 85 wt. % of dry matter, said dry matter comprising 30-92% by weight of dry matter of sugar selected from fructose, glucose, sucrose and combinations thereof and 8-80% by weight of dry matter of non-sugar dry fruit matter;combining the non-preserved fruit composition with an acetate buffer having a pH in the range of 3.0 to 5.7 to prepare a buffered fruit composition, said acetate buffer containing 10-50 wt. % of dissolved acetate in the form of dissolved acetic acid and dissolved acetate anion, and;if needed, adding water and/or acidulant to the buffered fruit composition to achieve a water content of at least 20 wt. % and a pH in the range of 3.0 to 4.2.The preservation method of the present invention enables effective prevention of microbial spoilage in fruit compositions without negatively impacting the organoleptic properties of the product.