Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) content of selected brands of processed fruit juice sold in Mega Supermarkets in Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Humans and other primates are not able to synthesize vitamin C, which plays a very important biological role in the lives of its consumers. The major sources of this nutrient are fortified food products however its concentration in these products is largely influenced by improper handling practices. Therefore proper handling should be practiced. And this coupled with the fact that the understanding of vitamin C has increased in the recent past necessitates regular monitoring for its content in fortified food products.Therefore this study determined the concentration of vitamin C content present in mango minute maid and mango splash fruit juices sold in Mega supermarket in Kampala, Uganda. A titrimetric method of Ido was used to determine the vitamin C content of 30 mango minute maid and mango splash fruit juices. This study found out that vitamin C content in mango minute maid juice was found to contain 18.67mg/100ml and mango splash minute maid was found to contain 24.58mg/100mland the meandifference between the two was statistically significant at p-value <0.001.These two samples can be a reliable potential source of vitamin C. Further study should be designed to investigatevitamin C content in other fruit juices like pineapple, lemonand many others and why the mango splash fruit juice contains three times the amount of vitamin C claimed on the product label.