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Effect of Different Cooking Methods on Vitamin C Content of Some Selected

Vegetables

Article  in  International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences · October 2019

DOI: 10.20546/ijcmas.2019.810.307

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 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2019) 8(10): 2658-2663

International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 10 (2019)
Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2019.810.307

Effect of Different Cooking Methods on Vitamin C Content of

Some Selected Vegetables

Mst. Rita Khatun, Mst. Khodeza Khatun, Md. Shadiqul Islam, Sharif Md. Al-Reza*

Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Islamic University,

Kushtia-7003, Bangladesh

*Corresponding author

ABSTRACT

Keywords
Nutrition, Vitamin
This investigation was carried out to determine the effect of different
C, Fresh cooking methods on the vitamin C content of the selected vegetables. The
Vegetables, Cooked redox titration method was used for the determination of vitamin C
vegetables, Redox
titration
(C6H8O6) in this research. The findings of this study suggest that vitamin C
Article Info
activity drops on treatment with heat. The percentage of vitamin C activity
loss was 33-95% on frying, 6-93% on boiling and 5-92% on steaming. This
Accepted:
25 September 2019 study suggests that we should consume vegetables in fresh form in food to
Available Online: get maximum nutrition with regard to ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) especially.
10 October 2019

Introduction Demmel, 1990). Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)

was first isolated in 1928 by the Hungarian
Vegetables and fruits are valuable components biochemist and Nobel Prize winner Szent-
of the daily diet contributing carbohydrate in Gyorgyi. Vitamin C is available in reduced
form of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals to form (L-ascorbic acid) and oxidized form (L-
the body (Babalola et al., 2010). Most dehydro ascorbic acid).
vegetables are commonly cooked before It is a water soluble vitamin and sensitive to
consumption. In general, vegetables are heat and oxygen, therefore leaching into the
cooked at home on the basis of convenience cooking water may occur during processing
and taste preference of consumer rather than resulting in the potential loss during industrial
retention of nutrient and health promoting processing or domestic cooking. In addition,
compounds (Singh and Harshal, 2016). The leaves of the vegetables may absorb a large
degree of vitamin loss is influenced by various amount of cooking water and this can lead to
factors including: type of food, variety of dilution and further reduction in the level of
vegetables, method of cutting, duration and vitamins in the cooked product (Prabhu and
processing of cooking (Rumm-Kreuter and Barrett, 2009).

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Great interest has been seen in the clinical an antioxidant as well as for protection from
roles of Vitamin C because of evidence that deficiency (Carr and Frei, 1999). Since
oxidative damage is a root cause and mostly smokers suffer increased oxidative stress there
associated with many diseases. Population recommended dietary allowance is increased
studies have shown that individuals with high by 35 mg/day.
intakes of Vitamin C have lower risk of
chronic diseases including, heart disease, Studies from the UK and North America have
cancer, eye diseases and neurodegenerative reported Vitamin C deficiency in around 1 in 5
conditions (Jacob and Sotoudeh, 2002). Diet men and 1 in 9 women in low income groups
supplies more than 90% of the Vitamin C in (Ravindran et al., 2011). The prevalence of
human by fruits and vegetables (Kumar et al, Vitamin C deficiency is highest among
2013). Except human and other primates, most Indians and people of South Asian origin
of the higher animals can synthesize Vitamin compared to other races except the Mexican
C (L-ascorbate). Humans lack the enzyme (L- population.
gluconolactone oxidase, GLO) which is
needed to convert glucose to Vitamin C Lower intake of fresh fruits and vegetables
(Cheema and Pant, 2011). It is therefore and over-cooking of food by South Asians
important to include plenty of Vitamin C might be the reason for higher prevalence of
containing foods in daily diet. Vitamin C deficiency in these populations.
Also this deficiency of Vitamin C may be the
Vitamin C plays significant functions in the one of the reason for higher rates of
body. The biochemical functions of Vitamin C cardiovascular disease and cancer among
includes: Stimulation of certain enzymes, South Asians individuals in Pakistani, Indian,
collagen biosynthesis, hormonal activation, Malay and Chinese populations compared to
antioxidant, detoxification of histamine, most Western populations (Khan and Iqbal,
phagocytic functions of leukocytes, formation 2006). Deficiency was more prevalent in men
of nitrosamine and proline hydroxylation with increasing age, users of tobacco and
amongst others. biomass fuels with poor nutrition and with
lower intakes of dietary Vitamin C (Ravindran
Vitamin C has been associated with reduction et al., 2011).
of incidence of cancer, blood pressure,
immunity and drug metabolism and urinary The redox titration method was used for the
hydroxyproline excretion, tissue regeneration determination of vitamin C (C6H8O6) in this
(Walingo, 2005). Study published in research. As the iodine is added during the
Anticancer Research in 1992 reported that use titration, the ascorbic acid is oxidized to
of high-dose antioxidants in conjunction with dehydroascorbic acid, while the iodine is
chemotherapy and radiation prolonged reduced to iodide ions.
survival in patients with small-cell lung cancer
(Lawson, 2005). C6H8O6 + I2 → 2I− + C6H6O6

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) The purpose of this work is to determine the
for Vitamin C for non smoking adult male and effect of different cooking methods on the
female was 60 mg/day (Jacob and Sotoudeh, vitamin C of the selected vegetables. The
2002). The new higher Recommended Dietary values obtained in the cooked samples were
Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C is 75 mg for compared with the data found in fresh
women and 90 mg for men because it acts as vegetables.

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Material and Methods to remove adhering dirty particles. All the

vegetables were fried by traditional frying
Sample Collection method in vegetable oil until brown on the
outside and tender, almost velvety on the
Eight vegetables commonly consumed in inside. They were boiled with water for 10
Bangladesh were purchased from the local minutes and steaming for 10-15 minutes at
market, Kushtia City. The vegetable samples boiling point of water. 100 g of each sample
are Potato (Solanum tuberosum), Spinach (fresh, fried, boiled and steamed) was weighed
(Spinacia oleracea), Cauliflower (Brassica and blended with 100 ml of water using an
oleracea var. botrytis), Onion (Allium cepa), electric blender. The mixture was filtered, the
Chili (Capsicum annum), Broccoli (Brassica filtrate was collected in a 200 ml volumetric
oleracea var. italica), Brinjal (Solanum flask and diluted up to the mark with distilled
melongena) and Cabbage (Brassica oleracea water for each sample.
var. capitata f. alba). All the apparatus used
were properly washed and rinsed with distilled Experimentals
water. Reagents (analytical grade) for the
experiment were obtained from commercial 10 ml of the sample solution was pipetted out
sources (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, into 250 ml conical flask and then added 4-
USA). drops of starch indicator solution. 0.005M
iodine solution was filled into the burette and
Preparation of Reagents titrated against the sample in the beaker until
the first permanent trace of dark blue-black
1% Starch Indicator Solution colour observed due to the starch iodine
complex. The procedure was done in triplicate
A starch solution (1%) was prepared by and the average titration value for each sample
weighing 1g of starch into a 250ml beaker and was obtained. Then using the burette reading
100ml of distilled water was added. The vitamin C concentration was determined by
mixture was boiled for 5 minutes with stirring using the following formula:
until the starch dissolved; the resulting
solution was allowed to cool. 1ml 1M I2 solution 0.17613 gm of ascorbic
acid
Potassium iodide solution The percentage lost on the ascorbic acid due to
cook heating was calculated using the
To prepare 0.005M of iodine solution 2g of KI formula:
was taken in a 500 ml beaker and dissolved in
100 ml distilled water and 1.3 g of iodine
powder was stirred with small quantity of Where, AAF = the ascorbic acid content in the
water until dissolved and transfer iodine fresh sample
solution to a 1L volumetric flask, making sure
to rinse all traces of solution into the AAC = the ascorbic acid content of the cooked
volumetric flask with distilled water until the sample
volume up to the mark.
Results and Discussion
Sample Preparation
The present report here the vitamin C content
The fresh vegetable samples were collected of fresh, fried, boiled and steamed samples of
and immediately washed with distilled water eight vegetables purchased from local market.

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The retention of vitamin C is often used as vitamin C content decreases, while the
estimation for overall nutrient retention of temperature was kept constant (Igwemmar et
food products because it is highly sensitive to al., 2013). Loss as a result of frying, boiling
oxidation and leaching into water during and steaming can be justified since vitamin C
cooking. is water soluble and heat labile. The vitamin C
concentration in mg/100 g sample of the
The effects of cooked showed that the vitamin vegetables as affected by different cooking
C content were different from fresh sample methods is shown on Table 1.
than the other cooked samples. It has also
been reported (Bello and Fowoyo, 2014) that The results revealed that among all the fresh
the higher temperature, greater the loss of vegetables chili gave the highest value of
vitamin C in fruits and vegetables has to be. 241.30 mg/100g implying it is a good source
Adefegha and Oboh also attributed that the of vitamin C while brinjal gave the least of
loss of vitamin C content during the different 2.64 mg/100g. The vitamin C content of the
cooking processes could be due to the fact that raw vegetables is generally high when
vitamin C is highly soluble in water and is compared with those of the cooked vegetables.
very unstable at high temperatures (Adefegha It was also observed that heating affected the
and Oboh, 2011). vitamin C content of all the vegetables, as the
heating time increases, the vitamin C content
The vitamin C content of the raw vegetables is decreases (Lee et al., 2018). The losses
generally high when compared with those of observed in this study are high most especially
the heated. It was also observed that heating when the vegetables were subjected to frying
affected the vitamin C content of all the and boiling as comparing to steaming (Table
vegetables, as the heating time increases, the 1).

Table.1 Comparative result of vitamin C content of fresh vegetables with other cooked samples

Vegetables Fresh Fried Boiled Steamed

Content of vitamin C (mg/100g)
Potato 18.20 ± 1.5 5.90 ± 0.1 12.86 ± 1.2 15.24 ± 1.1
Spinach 88.33 ± 1.0 15.24 ± 1.5 44.30 ± 1.0 79.87 ± 0.6
Cauliflower 55.48 ± 0.5 36.99 ± 1.0 26.68 ± 1.2 45.79 ± 1.2
Onion 4.67 ± 1.2 1.76 ± 1.1 2.38 ± 0.5 3.52 ± 1.0
Chili 241.30 ± 1.5 9.68 ± 0.5 16.12 ± 1.5 17.88 ± 1.5
Broccoli 79.26 ± 0.5 35.23 ± 1.0 44.03 ± 1.1 61.03 ± 1.2
Brinjal 2.64 ± 1.2 1.76 ± 1.0 1.76 ± 1.1 2.38 ± 1.0
Cabbage 48.44 ± 1.1 18.23 ± 1.2 45.18 ± 1.2 45.79 ± 0.5
Values are given as mean ± S.D. (n=3)

The study done clearly highlights that vitamin C activity drops on treatment with heat. The
percentage of vitamin C activity loss was 33-95% on frying, 6-93% on boiling and 5-92% on
steaming (Figure 1).

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Fig. 1 Percentage reduction of vitamin C after subjecting to various cooking methods

Vitamin C is the very unstable vitamin which Bello, A.A., Fowoyo, P.T., 2014. Effect of
can easily be denatured. Of all the vegetables, heat on the ascorbic acid content of dark
chili gave the highest level of vitamin C green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits.
(241.30 mg/100g) and also a 95.99% loss of Afr. J. Food Sci. Technol. 5(4):114-118.
vitamin C after frying. This suggests that Carr, A.C., Frei, B., 1999. Toward a new
denaturation of vitamin C due to heating recommended dietary allowance for
depends on its availability in the vegetable. vitamin C based on antioxidant and
Thus water soluble vitamin C leaches into health effects in humans. The American
cooking water and gets degraded. This study J. clinical nutri. 69(6):1086-1107.
suggests that we should consume vegetables in Cheema, S.K., Pant, M.R., 2011. Estimation
fresh form as to get maximum nutrition with of Vitamin C in seven cultivated
regard of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) especially. varieties of Capsicum annuum L. Int. J.
Also appropriate cooking methods which Ph. Sci. 3:1397-1401.
cause minimum destruction of vitamin C and Igwemmar, N.C., Kolawole, S.A., Imran, I.A.,
other nutrients in food should be followed to 2013. Effect of heating on vitamin C
overcome the vitamin C deficiency prevailing content of some selected vegetables. Int.
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How to cite this article:

Mst. Rita Khatun, Mst. Khodeza Khatun, Md. Shadiqul Islam, Sharif Md. Al-Reza. 2019.
Effect of Different Cooking Methods on Vitamin C Content of Some Selected Vegetables.
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 8(10): 2658-2663. doi: https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2019.810.307

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