COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF VITAMIN C. CONTENT (ASCORBIC ACID) IN PINEAPPLE AND BANANA
Abstract:
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water soluble vitamin that is regarded
as one of the safest and most effective nutrients. Vitamin C can be found in most fruits and
vegetable. The objective of the study is to determine vitamin C content in four commercial
fruits (Apple, Orange, Pineapple and Watermelon). Vitamin C content of the fresh fruits was
determined titrimetrically. The method of determination was cheap, accurate and can be used
for routine analysis. Apple vitamin C content was used as control (7.94 ± 0.13mg/100ml).
The highest amount of vitamin C was in orange (10.13± 0.10mg/100ml) higher than that of
apple followed by pineapple (6.40±0.18mg/100ml). However, watermelon had the lowest
amount of vitamin C (4.08±0.12mg/100ml). There is a significant difference in vitamin C
content among the fruits (p <0.05). The method of determination was cheap, accurate and
can be used for routine analysis.
Introduction
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid, or simply ascorbate (the anion of ascorbic acid), is an essential
nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. Vitamin C refers to a number of
vitamers that have vitamin C activity in animals, including ascorbic acid and its salts, and
some oxidized forms of the molecule like dehydroascorbic acid. Ascorbate and ascorbic acid
are both naturally present in the body when either of these is introduced into cells, since the
forms interconvert according to pH. Vitamin C is a cofactor in at least eight enzymatic
reactions, including several collagen synthesis reactions that, when dysfunctional, cause the
most severe symptoms of scurvy (Food standards agency, 2007). In animals, these reactions
are especially important in wound-healing and in preventing bleeding from capillaries.
Ascorbate may also act as an antioxidant against oxidative stress (Padayatty et al., 2003).
