Vitamin C from Green Tomatoes

Abstract

Loss of vitamin C by mincing a natural product and thus setting free ascorbic acid oxidase has been shown to occur in orange peel (Lampitt and Baker¹), and in cabbage and swedes (Pyke² ; Lampitt, Baker and Parkinson³). Experiments in this laboratory have shown that the destruction of the vitamin is especially rapid in green plant tissue (for example, 80 percent loss in 1 minute in shredded lettuce). We, therefore, thought it of interest to compare the rate of loss of the vitamin in green and in red tomatoes.