STUDY OF ASCORBIC ACID

CONTENT IN CITRUS FRUITS

CHEMSITRY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT – CLASS 12

2022 - 23
PARAMEKKAVU VIDYA MANDIR
MLA ROAD, THRISSUR
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INDEX
Sl:NO CONTENTS Pg: No

1. Theory
2. Introduction
3. Aim
4. Materials required
5. Procedure
6. Observation
7. Result
8. Conclusion
9. Bibliography
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THEORY
Vitamins are organic molecules that a body needs to sustain its
life. Instead, a human body cannot synthesize the vitamins hence
they should be supplied through diet. Vitamins are divided into
two categories which are fat -soluble and water-soluble vitamins.
Vitamins A, D, E and K are classified as fat soluble organic
molecules and the water-soluble ones are vitamins C and all the
vitamin B complex. Vitamin C which is also known as ascorbic
acid is a water-soluble vitamin synthesized by most animals from
glucose. Ascorbic acid is an organic compound with a formula
C₆H₈O₆, originally called hexuronic acid, and it’s a white solid
compound, but impure samples can appear yellowish.
Vitamin C is a very important vitamin for human nutrition that is
supplied by fruits and vegetables. L-Ascorbic acid is the main
biologically active form of vitamin C. As a potent antioxidant, it
has the capacity to eliminate several different free radicals. It is a
water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and
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vegetables. Citrus fruits, green vegetables such as broccoli,

Brussels and leafy vegetables are the chief sources of ascorbic
acid. A report of fish and milk containing vitamin C was published.
Vitamin C is also found in milk, and in some types of meat such
as kidney, liver fish, but it is widely spread in fruits and
vegetables. Consumption of citrus juice is found to be beneficial in
preventing coronary diseases and chronic asthma. Citrus fruit
extracts are also found to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
anti-tumor, anti-fungal and blood clot inhibition activities.

Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins and essential for

human and animal life. This water-soluble vitamin contributes to
many health benefits such as prevention of scurvy and cancer,
relief from common cold, stimulate collagen synthesis and play a
significant role in wound healing process. vitamin C helps to
enhance availability and absorption of iron from non-heme
sources. Vitamin C also has antioxidant properties since it can
easily lose the electron to neutralize and inhibit free radicals from
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being oxidized in preventing cell damage. It is also commonly

used as food additive which acts as antioxidant.

INTRODUCTION
Vitamin C is an organic compound consists of carbon, hydrogen
and oxygen. Vitamin C is a very important vitamin for human
nutrition that is supplied by fruits and vegetables. L-Ascorbic acid
is the main biologically active form of vitamin C. Ascorbic acid
(AA) is a simple sugar. It is the most active reducing agent known
to occur naturally in living tissues, and is easily reversibly oxidized
to Dehydroascorbic acid (DHA). is a white crystalline stable
substance, when in dry light and air. As a potent antioxidant, it
has the capacity to eliminate several different free radicals. The
terms vitamin C is not only used for ascorbic acids, but it includes
all compounds exhibiting biological activity such as oxidized, ester
and synthetic form. Many factors can cause oxidation of vitamin C
such as pH, light, temperature, presence of oxygen and metal ion.
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Many methods can be used for determination of vitamin C such

as spectrophotometry, electrophoresis, titration, and high-
performance liquid chromatography.

AIM
To study the content of ascorbic acid in citrus fruits

MATERIALS REQUIRED:
Water, iodine solution, starch indicator, standard vitamin c
solution, L-ascorbic acid (powdered vitamin c), fruit juice, Burette,
Pipette, Conical flask, Standard flask, Bunsen burner muslin cloth

PROCEDURE
 Weight 0.254g of solid iodine and pour in a dry
beaker. Add 4g of solid potassium iodide. Then add
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distilled water then dissolve iodine and potassium in

it. Transfer this solution to a clean 100ml standard
flask and prepare required quantity of distilled water
that was added to make 100ml of iodine solution. In
this way another 100ml of iodine solution is prepared.
This solution has a molarity of 0.01M.
 Now a starch solution is prepared by adding a spatula
of starch to 100ml of water and subsequently boiling
it.
 The fruit juices are extracted and filtered using muslin
cloth.
 The iodine solution of 0.01M is taken in a burette and
5ml of filtered juice is pippeted out in a conical flask.
 To the juice 1ml of starch solution is added.
 The solution of juice is titrated against iodine solution.
The process is stopped at the point the color of
solution in conical flask changes from fruit juice to
blue black color.

VITAMIN C STANDARD SOLUTION

1. Dissolve 0.250g vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in 100 ml
distilled water.
2. Dilute to 250 ml with distilled water in a standard
flask. Label the flask as your vitamin C standard
solution.
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VITAMIN C TITRATION
1.Add 25.00 ml of vitamin C standard solution to a
conical flask
2.Add 1ml of starch solution.
3.Fill the burette with iodine solution and record the
initial burette reading.
4.Titrate the solution until the endpoint is reached. This
will be when the first sign of blue color that persists after
20 seconds of swirling the solution.
5.Record the final volume of iodine solution. The volume
that was required is the starting volume minus the final
volume.
6.Repeat the titration at least twice more. The results
should agree within 0.1 ml.
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OBSERVATIONS
VITAMIN C TITRATION:

Number of trials Trial 1 Trial 2

Powdered vitamin
C amount
(L-ascorbic acid)
Final
burette reading
Initial
burette reading
Total volume of iodine
used
(Initial burette reading
– final burette
reading)
Average volume of
iodine used

RESULT:
Total volume of iodine used
Average volume iodine used =
Number of trials
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SAMPLE 1:

Number of trials Trial 1 Trial 2

Volume of juice (ml)
Final
burette reading(ml)
Initial
burette reading(ml)
Total Iodine solution
used (initial burette
reading - final
burette reading) (ml)
Ascorbic
Acid content
in titrated sample
(grams)
Avg g/ml

RESULT:
Volume of vitamin c present in sample =
Avg ascorbic acid
taken in grams for
standard vitamin c
×To tal ml iodine used for titrating sample
solution

avg ml iodine used

for titrating
standard vitamin c
solution
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SAMPLE 2:

Number of trials Trial 1 Trial 2

Volume of juice (ml)
Final
burette reading(ml)
Initial
burette reading(ml)
Total Iodine solution
used (initial burette
reading - final
burette reading) (ml)
Ascorbic
Acid content
in titrated sample
(grams)
Avg g/ml

RESULT:

Volume of vitamin c present in sample =

Avg ascorbic acid
taken in grams for
standard vitamin c
solution
×To tal ml iodine used for titrating sample

avg ml iodine used

for titrating
standard vitamin c
solution
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CONCLUSION:
Many analytical methods have been reported for the
determination of ascorbic acid. These conventional methods
which are titrimetric, fluorimetry, spectrometry,
chemiluminescence, enzymatic methods, capillary
electrophoresis, electrochemical methods, amperometric
methods and HPLC are the most common.

BIBILIOGRAPHY
 https://www.seminarsonly.com/
 https://pisumfoods.com/
 http://www.ifrj.upm.edu.my/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/
 http://docs.neu.edu.tr/
 https://www.thoughtco.com/