Micronutrients:Vitamin C

Sources:

• fresh fruit and vegetables
• citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes and tangerines)
• cantaloupe melon,
• strawberries
• black currants
• green peppers
• tomatoes
• broccoli
• kiwi fruit
• dark green leafy vegetables
• peppers
• potatoes - 90% of recommended daily intake of vitamin C

Functions:

• required for growth & helps to make collagen - important protein found in skin liagments and the walls of blood vessels
• essential for repair and maintenance  of cartilage, bones and teeth
• repair and tissues including the healing of wounds and development of scar tissue
• assists formation of red blood cells by helping the absorption of iron from the intestines - iron is an important building block of red blood cells
• vital role in immune system & function of lymphocytes to fight infection
• antioxidant works with vitamin E to block some of the damage caused by the free radicals, which are by product that result when the body converts food into energy- may reduce risk of coronary heart disease.

Deficiency:

• prone to infection
• slows metabolism
• reduces appetite
• wounds are slower to heal
• dental and gum problems can develop
• when body stores of vitamin C drop below 300 milligrams, spongy gums tooth loss and bleeding from all mucous membranes will develop.

Excess:

• stomach pain & diarrhoea

Effects of storage, preparation and cooking:

• all water soluble vitamins are easily dissolved in water and unstable and affected by a range of factors including; heat, light, alkalinity, oxygen, enzyme activity
• most sensitive vitamin to destruction by these factors
• fruit and veg good source but can be exposed to these factors thereby reducing their vitamin content

Storage:

• conditions of the fruit- avoid purchasing bruised or damaged fruit and veg as cell walls are broken & enzymes released destroying vitamin C content. ascorbic acid oxidise is released by bruising, cutting, slicing and exposure to air. 
• Age of fruits and vegetable- quantity of…