Vitamin C and ß-carotene in fresh and frozen green beans and broccoli in a simulated system

The reduced ascorbic acid and β-carotene contents of “retail market-fresh” (RMF) and “fresh-frozen” (FF) green beans and broccoli in a simulated handling system were determined. Changes in ascorbic acid content in the two vegetables during a retail market period and frozen storage followed different patterns. In green beans, ascorbic acid content decreased during refrigerated storage for up to 7 days, but in broccoli there was a significant increase. Blanching resulted in a loss of approximately 40% of the ascorbic acid in broccoli. Ascorbic acid content of FF green beans stored at-20C for 16 weeks was approximately twice that in RMF green beans, but in FF broccoli stored under the same conditions it was only about half that of RMF broccoli. β-carotene content of green beans and broccoli did not change during either the retail market simulation of frozen storage and did not differ from that of fresh.