Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is necessary for a person to normalize the functioning of bone and connective tissues. Vitamin C is an antioxidant. Its deficiency can lead to metabolic disorders and such an unpleasant disease as scurvy. The daily dose of ascorbic acid for humans is 90 mg. Vitamin C is a very “capricious vitamin”. Many factors can lead to the destruction of vitamin C, as well as to its significant loss. To preserve most of the ascorbic acid in vegetables, you need to know and follow a number of rules.
Instructions
Step 1
First, vitamin C is very sensitive to heat. A significant part of it is destroyed during the heat treatment of vegetables. Especially when cooking. Interestingly, when oxygen enters the pan, the loss of ascorbic acid exceeds twice the amount of this vitamin, which was heat treated without oxygen. For example, in a pressure cooker. In addition, in an alkaline environment, vitamin C is destroyed faster than in an acidic one. Therefore, if you still set out to save as much ascorbic acid as possible during cooking, the conclusion suggests itself. If you don't have a pressure cooker at home, get one as soon as possible. And when cooking vegetables, add a little acetic acid. It is also known that the longer the product is cooked, the greater the loss of vitamin C. A pressure cooker significantly reduces the cooking time. This means that more vitamin C is saved.
Step 2
Secondly, do not use iron and copper utensils when cooking vegetables. Vitamin C begins to break down in the presence of iron and copper ions. Ascorbic acid breaks down very quickly upon contact with ascorbinoxylase and ascorbinase. These are enzymes that some plants contain. So, for example, zucchini juice loses up to 90% of ascorbic acid, and cabbage juice more than 50% after 20 minutes at a temperature of 30 degrees. It is this temperature that is most favorable for the negative effects of the above enzymes. But in boiling water, these enzymes lose their activity. Therefore, when cooking, in order to preserve as much vitamin C as possible, put vegetables in already boiling water.
Step 3
Vitamin C is well preserved when salted and pickled. Therefore, do not hesitate and harvest pickled and pickled cucumbers and tomatoes for the winter. As well as bell peppers and cabbage. If you want to make freezing of some vegetables, then know that when freezing, ascorbic acid is not destroyed. But during thawing, most of it is lost. A few words should be said about ready-made meals. Prepare soups, main courses and salads just before use, not for future use. Vitamin C is lost in them literally every hour. This happens under the influence of all the same enzymes mentioned above, with the access of oxygen and daylight.
Step 4
Well, the most important and reliable means of preserving vitamin C in vegetables is the way to eat these vegetables fresh and raw! Bon Appetit!
