Analytical estimation of ascorbic acid in some fruits and vegetables in different cooking methods.
Raja R. D. A., Raja R. D. A., Bai R. R., Prakash J. W.
Author Affiliation: Department of Botany and Research center Scott Christian College, Nagercoil (Tamil Nadu), India.
Plant Archives 8 : 203-205
Abstract : The amount of ascorbic acid in some fruits and vegetables, and the effect of temperature on the ascorbic acid content of cooked vegetables were investigated. 10 fruits (apple (Pyrus malus) [Malus domestica]), banana (Musa paradisiaca), guava (Psidium guajava), lemon (Citrus limon), pineapple (Ananas comosus), grapes (Vitis vinifera), mango (Mangifera indica), orange (Citrus aurantium), papaya (Carica papaya) and watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) [C. lanatus] and 10 vegetables (green chilli (Capsicum annuum), chekkurmanis (Sauropus androgynus), curry leaves (Murraya koenigii), moringa leaf (Moringa oleifera), kuppakeera (Amaranthus spinosus), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), cabbage (Brassica oleracea), Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) and potato (Solanum tuberosum)) were collected from different locations and markets in India. The amount of ascorbic acid present in fresh fruits and vegetables was estimated, and the loss of vitamin from moringa leaf, lemon and gooseberry after water cooking and steam cooking for 15-35 minutes at 95°C was calculated. The results showed that all fruits and vegetables contained ascorbic acid. Higher amount of ascorbic acid was observed in cheaper fruits and vegetables than in expensive ones. The tropical fruits contained higher ascorbic acid than the temperate fruits. Among the fruits, guava contained the highest ascorbic acid content (288 mg/100 g), followed by oranges (78 mg/100 g), lemon (60 mg/100 g), bananas (58 mg/100 g), pineapple (48 mg/100 g), papaya (42 mg/100 g), grapes (30 mg/100 g), watermelon (30 mg/100 g), mango (17 mg/100 g) and apple (6 mg/100 g). Among the vegetables, Indian gooseberries contained the highest ascorbic acid content (594 mg/100 g), followed by curry leaves (293 mg/100 g), chekkurmanis (247 mg/100 g), moringa leaves (220 mg/100 g), cabbages (124 mg/100 g), green chillies (90 mg/100 g), tomatoes (36 mg/100 g), kuppakeera (17 mg/100 g), potatoes (17 mg/100 g) and cucumbers (9 mg/100 g). The losses of ascorbic acid in water and steam cooked vegetables were 35-62 and 17-37% for cooked moringa leaves, 0-40 and 0-20% for cooked lemons, and 30-100 and 8-15% for cooked Indian gooseberries.