Vitamin C is the very unstable vitamin which can easily be
denatured. It was found in both the raw and heated
vegetables samples analyzed in varying proportions. The
percentage loss of vitamin C at different heating time was
observed to be in the order - At 30 mins: Pepper >
Pumpkin > Spinach > Green peas > carrot; at 15 mins:
Pumpkin > Pepper > Green peas = Carrot > Spinach and at
5 mins: Carrot > Pumpkin > Green peas > Pepper >
Spinach. Of all the vegetables, pepper gave the highest
level of vitamin C (61.56mg/100ml) and also a 64.17% loss
of vitamin C in 30 mins heating. This suggests that
denaturation of vitamin C due to heating depends on its
availability in the vegetable. Thus vitamin C being water
soluble leaches into cooking water and gets degraded.
Vitamin C is important to human health and a necessary
dietary source. For high retention of vitamin C while
cooking it is recommended that the vegetables are cooked
in low heat and small amounts of water for short periods to
minimize the loss of vitamin C.
