Stability of vitamin C in frozen raw fruit and vegetable homogenates

• Published in: Journal of food composition and analysis Vol. 23; no. 3; pp. 253 - 259
• Main Authors: Phillips, Katherine M., Tarragó-Trani, Maria Teresa, Gebhardt, Susan E., Exler, Jacob, Patterson, Kristine Y., Haytowitz, David B., Pehrsson, Pamela R., Holden, Joanne M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Inc 01-05-2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analysis; Ascorbic acid; Biological and medical sciences; Brassica oleracea var. viridis; Citrus; citrus fruits; Clementines; Collards; Dehydroascorbic acid; Food analysis; Food composition; Food industries; food storage; Freezing; Fruit and vegetable industries; Fruits; fruits (food); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Homogenization; Juice; Leafy greens; Methods of analysis, processing and quality control, regulation, standards; Oranges; Potatoes; raw fruit; raw vegetables; reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography; Stability; Storage; storage quality; Tangerines; Temperature; ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy; Vegetables; Vitamin C; vitamin content; Collards; Temperature; Ascorbic acid; Stability; Vegetables; Potatoes; Homogenization; Juice; Leafy greens; Food analysis; Freezing; Fruits; Citrus; Dehydroascorbic acid; Storage; Analysis; Vitamin C; Clementines; Oranges; Food composition; Tangerines; Citrus fruit; Homogenate; Vitamin; Fruit vegetable; Orange; Warehousing; Quality; Tuber; Food preservation; Frozen product
• ISSN: 0889-1575; 1096-0481
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfca.2009.08.018

Retention of vitamin C in homogenized raw fruits and vegetables stored under routine conditions prior to analysis was investigated. Raw collard greens (
Brassica oleracea var. viridis), clementines (
Citrus clementina hort. ex Tanaka), and potatoes (
Solanum tuberosum) were chosen, being representative of foods to be sampled in USDA's National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP), and having different expected stability of ascorbic acid (AA). Samples were homogenized in liquid nitrogen, assayed immediately, then stored at −60
°C and analyzed at time points up to 49 weeks. Vitamin C (as total AA after reduction of dehydroascorbic acid) was analyzed using a validated method with quantitation by HPLC/ultraviolet detection. An orange juice control sample was included in each run. Vitamin C concentrations were stable in clementines and the orange juice, but decreased in collards and potatoes [16.8 and 10.9
mg/100
g (14.7% and 30.4%), respectively, after 49 weeks]. Significant losses had occurred after 12 weeks. These results suggest similar matrices must receive careful attention to sample handling protocols before analysis or AA values may not reflect the concentration in the food as consumed. The control sample was critical to allowing assessment of storage effects independent of analytical variability. Fruits and vegetables for the NFNAP will be analyzed without storage until a practical stabilization protocol is validated.