Vitamin C content of foods: sample variability

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Food Chemistry

Background:

• Vitamin C is essential for human health.
• Major sources of vitamin C in the American diet were surveyed.
• The study analyzed both ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify total vitamin C and its forms in major American food sources.
• To assess the variability of vitamin C content within food samples.
• To determine the proportion of dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) in total vitamin C.

Main Methods:

• Survey of major food sources of vitamin C in the American diet.
• Analysis of total vitamin C content.
• Quantification of ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) in food samples.

Main Results:

• Significant variability in vitamin C content was observed across individual food samples, even from the same source.
• Dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA) constituted approximately 10% to 20% of the total vitamin C content.
• The wide range of vitamin values highlights potential inaccuracies in dietary assessments.

Conclusions:

• Vitamin C content in foods is highly variable.
• DHAA is a significant component of total vitamin C in these foods.
• Daily analysis of vitamin C is recommended for human diet studies relying on limited food sources to ensure precision.