Investigation of bioaccessibility of vitamin C in various fruits and vegetables under in vitro gastrointestinal digestion system

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the in vitro bioaccessibility of vitamin C from various fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C bioaccessibility of 14 fruits and 8 vegetables was examined under the simulated gastrointestinal digestion method. Vitamin C values were analyzed by reverse-phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. The initial vitamin C amounts ranged between 1.9 (yellow apple) and 61.8 mg/100 g (strawberry) in fruits and 3.8 (curly lettuce) to 326.9 mg/100 g (purple cabbage) in vegetables. The bioaccessibility of vitamin C in fruits ranged from 2 to 91%, while the bioaccessibility of vegetables ranged between 4 and 86%. Parsley exhibited the highest bioaccessibility in vegetables, while green paper showed the lowest. It is seen in this study that vegetables and fruits with high vitamin C content have high bioaccessibility values, except for green pepper. For example, parsley, purple cabbage, red pepper, grapefruit, and orange have high bioaccessibility values (53-86%). On the other hand, intestinal pH and temperature, flavanones, minerals, and other vitamins are also thought to affect the bioaccessibility of vitamin C. Considering that vegetables and fruits are the primary vitamin C sources in the diet, it is crucial to investigate the bioaccessibility of this kind of foods vitamin.