ABSTRACT
There is increasing concern over micronutrient malnutrition, especially in low and
middle-income countries, resulting in poor health and higher morbidity and mortality
rates. Vitamin C, one of the essential micronutrients, is a water-soluble antioxidant
vitamin that plays pleiotropic cellular roles in human health. A ‘healthy-is-expensive’
intuition may account for the reduced consumption of some low-cost fruits that are also
good sources of vitamin C. This study assessed the vitamin C content of some fresh fruits
purchased from Okha market in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The less expensive fruits
included sweet orange, key lime, tomatoes and lemon, while the expensive fruits were
apples, pineapples, watermelon and grapes. They were washed, peeled and juice
obtained by squeezing, blending and sieving. Vitamin C concentration of each juice was
determined by Iodometric titration and compared with standard vitamin C. Results
showed that sweet orange had the highest concentration of vitamin C (61.22mg/100ml)
followed by tomatoes (38.16 mg/100ml), lemon (35.92mg/100ml), key lime (30.20
mg/100ml), pineapple (27.35 mg/100ml), watermelon (23.67), grape (18.78 mg/100ml)
and apple (8.16 mg/100ml). Therefore, the less expensive fruits have a higher
concentration of vitamin C than the expensive ones, thereby serving as an affordable
and adequate source of the vitamin.
KEYWORDS: Vitamin C, Antioxidants, Iodometric titration, Fruits, Vegetables