Mortal in Heat, Immortal in Cold

The Objective : The objective of this project was to determine vitamin C stability in citrus fruits stored at room temperature (28 degrees Celsius) for two weeks.

Methods/Materials

10 percent tangerine (Citrus reticulata) juice was titrated against iodine solution with starch as an indicator: starch indicates the endpoint of reaction between vitamin C and iodine by changing the color of the solution from colorless to a bluish-purple solution.

Tangerines were stored in oven with light on to maintain a constant temperature of 28 degrees Celsius.

Results

Reduction of Vitamin C concentration was observed in tangerines stored at room temperature for two weeks.

Vitamin C dropped steeply during the first two days, but declined more gradually during the next eleven days.

Conclusions/Discussion

The observed decrease in Vitamin C concentration in tangerines stored at room temperature possibly occurred due to increased fructose production, thereby leading to Vitamin C decomposition. The above investigation can be improved by reading core temperatures of fruit-samples for accuracy, and testing a single tangerine over a period of time instead of testing several individual fruit samples. Similar tests can be performed on a variety of fresh produce, to understand the effect of room temperature on destruction/depletion of essential nutrients in fruits and vegetables.

This project tested whether or not the Vitamin C content in citrus fruits (tangerines) declined over the course of two weeks when stored at room temperature.

Science Fair Project done By Ramakrishnan Kumaran

 

 

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