A comparative study: Methods for the determination of ascorbic acid in small and middle sized food analytic laboratories

Abstract

Although vitamin C is essential as an antioxidant and as a cofactor in a series of enzymatic reactions, the ability for ascorbate biosynthesis was lost in humans. Thus, horticultural products and derived fruit drinks or commercial vitamin C products are considered to be important sources for the ascorbic acid intake in the human diet. These facts underline the importance of analytical methods for ascorbic acid determination in different food products.In our study two spectrophotometric and a fl uorometric ascorbic acid determination methods have been compared with each other and with the so-called etalon HPLC method to fi nd the best for small or middle sized food analytic laboratories with a sample number of up to several hundreds. As a result of our experiments we could establish that the OPDA-fl uorometric method can be suggested for the determination of samples containing ascorbate at low concentrations. Unfortunately, the analytical properties of the OPDA method with spectrophotometric detection have been lagging far behind the others. The 2,2'-bipyridyl method could give a balanced performance for all tests. Furthermore, the results gained by this method are the closest to the results of the reference HPLC method in the case of fruit and vegetable samples.

Active Packaging of Button Mushrooms with Zeolite and Açai Extract as an Innovative Method of Extending Its Shelf Life

“…The analysis of the L-ascorbic acid content was conducted according to the method of Balogh and Szarka [16] with some minor modifications. Dried mushrooms powder (1 g) was mixed with 10 mL of 5% acetic acid and homogenized.…”

The Combination of Phyllanthus niruri, Euphorbia hirta, and Loranthus sp. as a Source of Antioxidant Agents

“…The ascorbic acid content testing was based on the research done by Balogh and Szarka (2016). The ascorbic acid level was measured with the sulfosalicylic acid method.…”

Packaging in a High O2 or Air Atmospheres and in Microperforated Films Effects on Quality of Button Mushrooms Stored at Room Temperature

“…The extraction process was carried out in accordance to the following methodology of Balogh and Szarka [16]. Dried mushrooms (2 g) were homogenized (IKA T18 digital, ULTRA TURRAX, Warsaw, Poland) in 20 mL of 5% acetic acid for 30 s at 13,000 RPM, then shaken (MX-RL_PRO, Chemland, Stargard Szczeciński, Poland) for 30 min.…”

“…Afterwards, extract was centrifuged (320R, Hettich Universal, Germany) for 10 min at 9000 RPM (4 • C). The analysis of vitamin C content was performed according to Balogh and Szarka [16]. Briefly, 85% orthophosphoric acid, 1% 2,2 -bipyridyl, 0.1% FeCl 3 was added to the mushroom extract.…”