Vitamin C in blueberries

Blueberries ripen over a period of several months and keep remarkably well. Fresh blueberries are extensively used as food and are also canned and frozen, and after preservation are used commercially in the bakery, preserve, and jelly industries.

The blueberry is a North American native fruit that belongs to the Vaccinium genus from the Ericacea family, characterized mainly by a high content of antioxidants such as polyphenols and vitamin C. Scientists reported that fresh blueberries contained 6.3 mg/g of vitamin C.

Vitamin C –an antioxidant that is needed to stop free radicals from doing harm in human bodies. Free radicals form in human bodies from activities that we do everyday like being out in the sun or breathing air with pollution. They promote aging and disease. Blueberries have 38% more free radical fighters or antioxidants than red wine.

Vitamin C is readily oxidized, especially in the presence of metal ions such as copper and iron. Heat and light accelerate the process, while additional factors such as oxygen concentration, pH and water activity strongly influence the rate of the reaction.
Vitamin C in blueberries