Vitamin c content in citrus fruits

Vitamin c content in citrus fruits is no where near as high as many other fruits on our planet. In spite of this though, most of the world's population still believes that a citrus fruit, especially the orange, is the champion of Vitamin C.

Either way, let us take a look at some of the conditions needed for fruits with Vitamin C.

When growing citrus fruits, it is important to know that fertilizer with high nitrogen rates can actually lower the levels of vitamin C in citrus fruits. It is also important to have the right levels of potassium if you want to get good levels of this vitamin. Temperature is another factor that can effects the levels of vitamin C levels in fruit. Hot tropical areas are known to produce much lower levels of this vitamin than other areas. It is more favourable to grow citrus fruits on areas that have cool nights.

Now for a brief discussion of citrus fruits in general;

You will find that young, unrippened citrus fruit have higher levels of vitamin C them the more ripened ones. According to studies, the peel of any citrus fruit has the highest amount of ascorbic acid, followed by the pulp and then the juice. The juice of most citrus fruits only have around 26% of vitamin Compared to the peel which has around 53%.

In conclusion, you will find that there are many fruits that have much higher levels of ascorbic acid than that of citrus fruits. A few examples would be; kiwi, strawberries, guava, peppers and lets not forget the big boy Camu Camu (which has the highest reordered amount of ascorbic acid which is 30 times more than an orange.)