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.