SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain, Oct 6, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Spanish
pharmacists found levels of vitamin C in fruit juice were far higher than the
labels indicated, researchers said.
Ana Rodriguez Bernaldo de Quiros and colleagues at the University of Santiago de
Compostela established the levels of vitamin C in 15 of 17 fruit juices and
other soft drinks.
The finding was made possible through the use of a new chromatographic technique
used to separate and identify chemical elements, developed by the researchers
and recently described in Food Chemistry magazine, the researchers said.
"The other drinks contain much higher levels than those specified by the
manufacturer because, as has already been indicated in a previous study, the
label probably only shows the amount of added ascorbic acid, without taking into
account the fruit's natural vitamin C content," the researchers said in a
statement.
The researchers said ascorbic acid or vitamin C is a natural anti-oxidant found
in fruits and vegetables, involved in immune responses and other biochemical
processes such as collagen-formation and iron-absorption.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2009 by United Press International