The effect of storage and processing on vitamin C content in Japanese quince fruit

Stability of vitamin C in stored fruit and sugar syrup of Japanese quince was tested. Vitamin C was measured in the fruit at harvest and after a few weeks of storage under normal atmospheric conditions. Sugar syrup obtained from the fruit was subjected to analysis before and after pasteurisation, and after several weeks of storage. The Chaenomeles genotypes tested were valuable in terms of vitamin C content. Storage significantly reduced the vitamin C content in the fruit, by 20% on average after 2 weeks of storage. The mechanical treatment and preparation of sugar syrup decreased the vitamin content by nearly two-thirds when compared with the fruit at harvest. Pasteurisation and storage of the sugar syrup contributed to further losses of vitamin C, reducing it to a very low level.