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Determination of L-Ascorbic Acid in Various Kenyan Fresh and Processed Fruits and Vegetables by High Performance Liquid Chromatography


SC Chhabra
NMN Wekesa
HM Thairu
G Nyagah

Abstract

Liquid chromatography methodology for determination of L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) in fresh and processed fruits and vegetables has been developed. The method uses a C18 column and an RP-18 precolumn for the stationary phase. The high-performance-liquid-chromatographic solvent is 0.1M phosphate buffer (pH=6). The flow rate is 2.0 ml/min, and UV detection at 273 nm. Ten different varieties of fruits, 13 different varieties of vegetables, 13 different types of processed fruits and 4 different types of commercial soft drinks were analysed. Results obtained show that Ribena contains the highest (410.0 mg/100 ml) mean level of L-AA while Hey-ho has the lowest (3.8 mg/100 ml).


Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology Vol. 2 (1) 1999: 22-31

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eISSN: 1561-7645