Natural food-Fruit Vitamin C Content

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Natural food-Fruit Vitamin C Content

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[The Natural Food Hub - contents page] [vitamin C content of apple varieties] [vitamin C content of kiwifruit species & varieties]All values in the chart below are rounded to the nearest whole number. Exactly half a milligram is rounded up, not down. Most of the information is from the USDA Nutrient database for standard reference, release 12 (1998). There is occasional wide variation in results between different investigators. For example, the USDA Nutrient database lists fresh Jujube at 69 mg vitamin C in every 100 mg flesh, where investigators at the University of California listed around 500 mg/100 grams. In the case of jujube, this may be caused because the fruit increase in vitamin C content with maturation, or it may be that different varieties tested have different levels, or a combination of both.

So these figures should not be taken as 'gospel', but rather as indicative. The vitamin C content of many fruit is higher when it is slightly immature, and declines as the fruit hits peak ripeness. For a few, such as the jujube fruit already mentioned, the vitamin C content does the opposite, it rises with increased ripeness. Vitamin C content also decreases with storage. For example, the kiwifruit is an exceptionally rich source of vitamin C - a medium sized fruit has 74 mg, but a kiwifruit that has been coolstored for a while has a vitamin C content of 57 mgs. Still excellent, but less excellent! In terms of consumer acceptability and likely frequency of eating, the yellow fleshed kiwifruit can be considered the best source of vitamin C in commercially available fruit. Generally far more important than ripening and storage effects, is the effect of the variety of fruit. In some fruits, the amount of vitamin C varies between different varieties of the same species. The tropical guava, Psidium guajava, is regarded as an excellent source of vitamin C, but there is great variation in vitamin C levels amongst the various cultivated varieties. For example, the variety 'Donaldson' has 372 mg/100 grams of flesh, but the variety 'Supreme' has only 44 mg/100 gms (some South African pink guava cultivars grown for the canning industry are said to have an astonishing 400 mg/100 gms!). Again, for mangoes, the varieties 'Pirie' and 'Haden' are only 'fair' sources, where other varieties are 'excellent' sources.

The current (1989) recommended daily allowance (RDA) for an adult is 60 milligrams per day (this is based on the amount of vitamin C needed to prevent clinical scurvy and provide body stores sufficient to prevent scurvy for around 30 days, plus "a margin of safety"). Pregnant and lactating women are regarded as needing more than this. Some people claim that the optimum intake is 500 mg per day. Recent test on healthy males clearly show 200mg per day is required to maintain tissues at full saturation, but without excreting vitamin C. Women have not been tested. At April 1999, it is being 'officially' recommended, based on new information, that the RDA ought to be changed to 120 milligrams per day.[4] The daily intake for a gatherer hunter would depend on the season, the particular ecosystem the tribe was living in, and the size of the family unit that shared whatever resource was available. The daily intake would probably have been well in excess of the RDA at times of year when fruit and greens were relatively abundant, and at other times may well have been much less. Either way, it is unlikely we took in 500 mg per day every day. The 500 mg so called 'optimum' probably reflects the need for a city living human to protect against stressful living, and the now wide exposure to damaging environmental chemicals. Such a level can only realistically be obtained by taking supplemental vitamin C.

Nutritionists generally regard any 'serving' of food that provides 10% to 25% of the daily vitamin C need in a relatively low calorie package as a 'good' source. The serving size most of us choose is pretty uniform - most of us would eat one apple, half an avocado in a salad, half a medium sized tomato as part of a salad, one banana, a slice of melon, and so on. On this basis, some fruits, such as kiwifruit, are quite outstanding, in that they provide more than the RDA in one relatively small fruit. Other fruits, such as oranges, are both very good sources and are also cheap, and pack in a lunch without crushing or leaking. So their importance is much greater than their vitamin C content alone would suggest.

Vitamin C is an important anti-oxidant, helps protect against cancers, heart disease, stress, it is part of the cellular chemistry that provides energy, it is essential for sperm production, and for making the collagen protein involved in the building and health of cartilage, joints, skin, and blood vessels. Vitamin C helps in maintaining a healthy immune system, it aids in neutralizing pollutants, is needed for antibody production, acts to increase the absorption of nutrients (including iron) in the gut, and thins the blood. Just to mention its most important functions.

Any fruit, or natural portion (e.g. slice of melon, or a handful of berries) in the chart below which has from 6 to 15 milligrams of vitamin C and is not highly packed with sugars is regarded as a 'good' source. Some very sweet fruit, such as apples, can be regarded as fairly good sources because they have more than 6 milligrams a serving, but not much more. Some very acid fruit, for example Surinam cherry, have 'good' absolute levels in the flesh, but are both small and unpalatable, so only one or two would ever be eaten at any one time. Therefore they are ranked lower than more acceptable fruit of a similar size and vitamin C content.

Any fruit, or natural portion (e.g. slice of melon, or a handful of berries) that gives from about 15 milligrams to about 30 milligrams can be considered a 'very good' source of vitamin C

When a fruit or natural portion (e.g. slice of melon, or a handful of berries) has more than about 30 milligrams per serving, it is an 'excellent' source of Vitamin C.

Obviously, when a single serving supplies a lot better than the current RDA of vitamin C, it is an 'exceptional' source, at least in my view!

The half ripe fruit of the camu camu, a shrubby tree of the Amazon, has the distinction of having the highest recorded levels of any fruit, surpassing even the highest levels recorded in the acerola. At 2.7 grams of ascorbic acid per 100 grams of fruit, the ascorbic acid content is nothing short of astounding! ('Ascorbic acid' is the technical term for vitamin C). If you can add vitamin C analysis of fruit not listed here I would be pleased to receive it. Email me at removethespamtrapfirstfmra1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fruit

 

Latin name

 

mg vitamin C

/ 100 grams

 

mg vitamin C

per average

size fruit/slice*

 

Ranking

 

Notes

 

 

**Acerola

 

Malpighia glabra

 

1,677

 

80

 

exceptional*

 

 

 

Apple

 

Malus sylvestris

 

6

 

8

 

fairly good

 

 

 

Apricot

 

Prunus armeniaca

 

10

 

4

 

-

 

 

 

Apricot, canned

 

Prunus armeniaca

 

3

 

2

 

-

 

 

 

Asian pear

 

Pyrus serotina

 

4

 

5

 

-

 

 

 

Avocado

 

Persea americana

 

8

 

16

 

fairly good

 

 

 

Banana

 

Musa X paradisiaca

 

9

 

11

 

good

 

 

 

Babaco

 

Carica pubescens x stipulata forma 'pentagona'

 

21 to 32

 

21 to 32

 

very good

 

[1]

 

Barbados Cherry

Malpighia glabra

1,678

112

exceptional

[7]

 

 

Bilberry

 

Vaccinium myrtillus

 

1

 

0.01*(estim)

 

-

 

[1]

 

 

**Baobab

 

Adonsonia digitata

 

150 to 499

 

100

 

exceptional

 

[2]

 

 

Breadfruit

 

Artocarpus altilis

 

29

 

28*

 

very good

 

 

 

Blackberry

 

Rubus sp.

 

6

 

0.6(estim)

 

-

 

[1]

 

 

Blackcurrant

 

Ribes nigrum

 

155 to 215

 

1.5 to 2*(estim.)

 

excellent

 

[1]

 

 

Blueberry

 

Vaccinium sp

 

1.3 to 16.4

 

no data*

 

-

 

[3]

 

 

**Camu Camu

 

Myrciaria dubia

 

2,700

 

no data

 

astounding

 

 

 

Carambola

 

Averrhoa carambola

 

21

 

19

 

very good

 

 

 

Casimiroa

 

Casimiroa edulis

 

30

 

15*

 

very good

 

 

 

Crabapple

 

Malus sp.

 

8

 

2 (estim.)

 

-

 

 

 

Cherimoya

 

Annona cherimola

 

9

 

10*

 

fairly good

 

 

 

Custard apple

 

Annona reticulata

 

19

 

no data

 

very good

 

 

 

Feijoa

 

Feijoa sellowiana

 

25

 

13

 

good

 

 

 

 

Feijoa

 

Feijoa sellowiana

cv. 'Mammoth'

 

31

 

16

 

very good

 

[6]

 

 

Feijoa

 

Feijoa sellowiana

cv.'Triumph'

 

27

 

14

 

good

 

[6]

 

 

Fig

 

Ficus carica

 

2

 

1

 

-

 

 

 

Grape, slip skin

 

Vitis spp

 

4

 

.01

 

-

 

 

 

Grape, european

 

Vitis vinifera

 

11

 

.60

 

good*

 

 

 

Grapefruit

 

Citrus paradisi

 

34

 

44*

 

excellent

 

 

 

**Guava, Cattley

 

Psidium cattleianum

 

37

 

2

 

very good*

 

 

 

Guava, tropical

 

Psidium guajava

 

183

 

165

 

exceptional

 

 

 

**Java plum

 

Syzgium cumini

 

14

 

.42

 

-

 

 

 

Jujube

 

Ziziphus jujuba

 

500

 

no data

 

exceptional*

 

 

Kakadu Plum

Terminalia ferdinandiana

2300 to 3150

60 *(estim)

excellent*

[8]

 

 

**Kei apple

 

Dovyalis caffra

 

117

 

17

 

excellent*

 

 

 

Kiwano™

 

Cucumis metuliferus

 

0.5

 

0.5

 

-

 

[1]

 

 

Kiwifruit, green

 

Actinidia deliciosa

 

98

 

74

 

exceptional

 

 

 

Kiwifruit, yellow

 

Actinidia chinensis

 

120 to 180

 

108 to 162

 

exceptional

 

 

 

Lemon juice

 

Citrus limon

 

46

 

3*

 

-

 

 

 

Lime juice

 

Citrus aurantifolia

 

29

 

1*

 

-

 

 

 

Longan

 

Dimocarpus longan

 

84

 

3*

 

good

 

 

 

Loquat

 

Eriobotrya japonica

 

1

 

.5

 

-

 

 

 

Lychee

 

Litchi chinensis

 

72

 

7*

 

very good

 

 

 

Mango

 

Mangifera indica

 

28

 

57

 

excellent

 

 

**Marula

 

Sclerocarya birrea

 

68

 

60(estim)

 

excellent

 

 

 

Medlar

 

Mespilus germanica

 

0.3

 

0.15(estim)

 

-

 

[1]

 

 

Melon, cantaloupe

 

Cucumis melo

 

42

 

29*

 

very good

 

 

 

Melon, honeydew

 

Cucumis melo

 

25

 

20*

 

very good

 

 

 

**Muntingia

 

Muntingia calabura

 

80

 

4*(estim)

 

excellent

 

 

 

**Natal plum

 

Carissa macrocarpa

 

38

 

8

 

good

 

 

 

Orange

 

Citrus sinensis

 

53

 

70

 

excellent

 

 

 

Opuntia cactus

 

Opuntia spp.

 

23

 

no data

 

very good?

 

 

 

 

Papaya

 

Carica papaya

 

62

 

47*

 

excellent

 

 

 

**Pawpaw/Asimina

 

Asimina triloba

 

14

 

28(estim)

 

good†

 

 

 

Passionfruit, purple

 

Passiflora edulis

 

30

 

5

 

-

 

 

 

Peach

 

Prunus persica

 

7

 

6

 

-

 

 

 

Peach, canned

 

Prunus persica

 

3

 

3

 

-

 

 

 

Pear

 

Pyrus communis

 

4

 

7

 

-

 

 

 

**Persimmon, American

 

Diospyros virginiana

 

66

 

13*(estim.)

 

excellent

 

 

 

Persimmon, Oriental

 

Diospyros kaki

 

40

 

40*(estim.)

 

excellent

 

 

 

Pineapple

 

Ananus comosus

 

15

 

13

 

good

 

 

 

Plum

 

Prunus sp

 

10

 

6

 

fairly good

 

 

Quince

Cydonia oblonga

15

15

good

 

 

 

Raspberry

 

Rubus spp.

 

25

 

.5

 

-

 

 

 

Raspberry

 

Rubus spp.

 

23 to 32

 

0.7 to 1*

 

very good

 

[1]

 

 

Redcurrant

 

Ribes sativum

 

58 to 81

 

0.58 to 0.81*(estim)

 

good

 

[1]

 

 

Rosehip

 

Rosa pomifera cv.'Karpatia'

 

1,500

 

45(estim.)

 

excellent

 

[5]

 

 

Rosehip

 

Rosa sp. cv.'Pi Ro 3'

 

1,150

 

34(estim.)

 

very good

 

[5]

 

 

Rosehip

 

Rosa sp. cv.'Vitaminnyj-VNIVI'

 

2,000 to

2,500

 

60 to 75(estim.)

 

excellent

 

[5]

 

 

**Surinam cherry

 

Eugenia uniflora

 

26

 

2

 

-

 

 

 

Sapodilla

 

Manilkara zapota

 

15

 

25

 

very good

 

 

 

Strawberry

 

Fragaria x ananassa

 

57

 

7*

 

very good

 

 

 

Tangerine/Mandarin

 

Citrus reticulata

 

31

 

26

 

very good

 

 

 

Tamarillo, red

 

Cyphomandra betaceae

 

40

 

40

 

excellent

 

 

 

Tamarillo, red

 

Cyphomandra betaceae

 

31

 

22

 

very good

 

[6]

 

 

Tamarillo, yellow

 

Cyphomandra betaceae

 

33

 

30

 

very good

 

[6]

 

 

Tamarillo, yellow

 

Cyphomandra betaceae

 

31

 

22

 

very good

 

 

 

 

Tomato

 

Lycopersicon sp

 

19

 

23

 

very good

 

 

 

Watermelon

 

Citrullus lanatus

 

10

 

27

 

very good

 

* The values are for one whole fruit, but no one (that I would want to know) eats a whole medium sized watermelon at a sitting, so for these larger fruit the value is for a slice, a 'slice' being, very generally, about an eighth of a medium sized fruit, or a quarter of a 'smaller' fruit. In the particular case of lemon and lime, the 'slice' value is juice of one wedge. For a few small fruit, such as Kei apple, the ranking is adjusted upward where the fruit mg/100 gram analysis shows it has large amounts of vitamin C, but the small size of the fruit gives it a lower per fruit vitamin C content. You are likely to eat more than one at a serving. In the case of tiny fruit, like red or black currants, a lot more, but probably still only 20-30 raw fruit, especially if they are a bit acid.. ** You won't find these fruit in the shops. They are natural environment fruits that we have not domesticated for one reason or another. Most will never be domesticated. Some can be grown at home in the backyard. † Asimina fruits range in vitamin C content from about 7mg/100 grams edible to about 21mg/100 grams, depending on the variety. Therefore some varieties are a 'good' source of vitamin C, others are a 'very good' source.

Links

Vitamin C a brief fact sheet on vitamin C and human health, and the forms and relative values of synthetic and natural vitamin C URL: http://medical-library.net/sites/_ascorbic_acid_ascorbate_vitamin_c.html

The vitamin C site discusses everything about vitamin C. It is fair to say that it is 'pro vitamin C'! URL: http://www.cforyourself.com/ 200 mg of vitamin C per day is optimal for healthy men. Research report - very significant. URL: http://www.dhhs.gov/news/press/1996pres/960415c.html The vitamin C Foundation News all the news on the latest findings on vitamin C - and more. URL: http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/news.htm A paper on the Ascorbic acid content of edible wild plants in USA includes information on how vitamin C is determined by scientists- see the section headed "method" URL: http://freenet.macatawa.org/~rimmer/Vitamin.htm How to measure vitamin C with High School equipment- a "quick and dirty", but easy and simple method. Designed for fruit juice, but should work with juiced and filter fruit extract. URL: http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~coalitn/sciedoutreach/funexperiments/quickndirty/csustan/vitaminc.htm Measuring the vitamin C content of an orange and a lemon. - same technology as above, clearly laid out as a text book lesson for students to follow. http://www.che.ilstu.edu/~otis/osr/welcome10.html Measuring vitamin C in fruit juices - Comprehensive teachers guide- materials needed, skills, precautions, critical thinking, pitfalls, cross-curricula learning elements - a very detailed teachers guide for this activity. Excellent. http://www.rohmhaas.com/company/plabs.dir/exp12.htm Measuring vitamin C -for the technically minded, the problems of producing a standard so that laboratories can measure ascorbic acid with confidence. Some interesting general background on ascorbic acid included. http://www.lgc.co.uk/best/terp/rm/provit/provit.htm Measuring vitamin C in orange juice, lab task- upper school/college/university 101 level - a 'lab' on measuring vitamin C by the titration method, using a standard reference. Includes questions to answer at the end of the lab session. http://wwwchem.csustan.edu/chem1112/1112VITC.HTM.