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Oxidation of ascorbic acid in stored orange juice is associated with reduced plasma vitamin C concentrations and elevated lipid peroxides

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2004.10.026Get rights and content

Abstract

Ascorbic acid oxidizes in refrigerated orange juice, but the physiological relevance of this deterioration is unknown. We compared changes in plasma vitamin C and total lipid peroxides (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, TBARS) in the 2-hour period following consumption of commercial orange juices on day 1 vs day 8 of storage (4°C). The ascorbic acid content decreased significantly after storage in juice reconstituted from frozen concentrate (117±8 vs 89±8 mg/8 fl oz, P=.001), but did not change in chilled juice (69±5 vs 64±12 mg/8 fl oz.). The mean incremental TBARS value was less on day 1 vs day 8 for juice from frozen concentrate (−0.46±0.72 and 0.70±0.53, P=.046), but did not differ for chilled juice (0.00±0.49 and 0.54±0.89). The incremental values for plasma TBARS and vitamin C in the 2-hour postprandial period were inversely related (r=−0.48, P=.017). These data indicate that the loss of ascorbic acid in refrigerated juice may impact postprandial oxidative stress.

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Methods

The Institutional Review Board at Arizona State University approved the study. Six healthy, nonsmoking women (age, 36.8±4.5 years; body mass index [calculated as kg/m2], 26.8±3.3) maintained their habitual diets but were instructed not to use individual vitamin supplements during the trials. All subjects completed two 8-day trials.

On trial days 1 and 8, subjects ingested 8 fl oz of the test juice after a 12-hour fast. Baseline blood samples were drawn before juice ingestion and at exactly 1 and

Results and discussion

The ascorbic acid content of juice from frozen concentrate decreased significantly on day 1 vs day 8 (117±8 vs 89±8 mg/8 fl oz., P=.001), but these values did not change for the chilled juice (69±5 vs 64±12 mg/8 fl oz). Fasting plasma vitamin C concentrations during the frozen juice trial were not significantly different on trial days 1 and 8 (54.0±7.6 and 57.5±4.2 μmol/L, respectively), and the postprandial incremental plasma vitamin C was significantly more on day 1 vs day 8 of this trial

Conclusions

Promotion of fruit and vegetable consumption is an important objective for nutrition professionals, but information about the post-harvest conditions that are associated with maximal preservation of the bioactive molecules present in these foods should be included in these promotions. Perhaps one raw, unprocessed, antioxidant-rich food item daily is an achievable goal for consumers.

C. S. Johnston is a professor and J. C. Hale is an undergraduate student, Department of Nutrition, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ, USA

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    C. S. Johnston is a professor and J. C. Hale is an undergraduate student, Department of Nutrition, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ, USA

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