Comparison of Vitamin C Content of Commercially Available Fresh Fruits

Aims: The aim of the current paper is to identify the ascorbic acid level in ten commercially available fruits in order to expand the existing database about fruits rich in Vitamin C and to promote their daily consumption.

Study Design: Research was conducted experimentally.

Place and Duration of Study: University of food technologies, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, October 2019.

Methodology: Ascorbic acid levels were determined with the use of two oxidation-reduction titration methods – Dichlorophenoliodophenol (DCPIP) and N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS).

Results: All studies samples possessed different amounts of ascorbic acid. Both DCPIP and NBS assay resulted in determining strawberries as the fruit with the highest ascorbic acid levels – 55.1 ± 1.6 mg/100 g and 59.8 ± 2.2 mg/100 g respectively. Lowest values were obtained for fig. All results are commensurable to those obtained in other studies. Ascorbic acid levels were as follows: strawberries > grapefruit > pear > green apple > blueberries > quince > banana > plum > white grapes > fig.

Conclusion: In this study, ten commercially available fruits were studied for their ascorbic acid levels. Comparison between two titration methods showed moderate differences in the results confirming that the NBS method is more sensitive. All reported data confirms that differences occur, but fruits can be considered sources of vitamin C.