Vitamin C losses in cooked fresh leafy vegetables

Vitamin C losses in cooked fresh leafy vegetables

1980

REP.G0900

The total vitamin C levels (AA and DAA) in six freshly harvested vegetables ranged from 482 to 582 mg/l00 g dry weight. Vitamin C is present as L-xyloascorbic acid (AA) in all the vegetables investigated except Corchorus olitorus where some partially oxidised form (DAA) was detected at a level of 1.8 % of the total vitamin C. The total vitamin C losses of blanched vegetable leaves varied from 62.2 to 93.1%. DAA accounted for 3.4 to 19.4 % of the total vitamin C left in blanched leaves and for between 0 and 2.8 % of the total vitamin C extracted into the blanching water. During the blanching of vegetables, enzymic oxidation of vitamin C is more important than non-enzymic oxidation by oxygen, catalysed by traces of metals such as copper and iron.

v.5:243-247, FOOD CHEMISTRY

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