A simple UV-spectrophotometric method for the determination of vitamin C content in various fruits and vegetables at Sylhet area in Bangladesh

Abstract

A simple UV-spectrophotometric method for the determination of the total vitamin C (ascorbic acid + dehydroascorbic acid) in various fruits and vegetables at Sylhet area is described. The spectrophotometric method involves the oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid by bromine water in presence of acetic acid. After coupling with 2,4-dinitrophenyl hydrazine at 37°C temperature for three hours, the solution is treated with 85% H2SO4 to produce a red color complex and the absorbance was spectrophotometrically measured at 521 nm. The content of vitamin C were 12 to 118 mg/100 g in fruits and 22 to 135 mg/100 g in vegetables. The percent recovery, statistical calculation and the possible interfering factors are also discussed. © 2006 Asian Network for Scientific Information.