Sources of vitamin C in the Kenya diet and their stability to cooking and processing

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Abstract
Vitamin C sources in the diets of the agricultural and pastoral tribes of Kenya were screened and effects of traditional cooking and processing methods on ascorbic acid retention were observed. Green leafy vegetables, due to high initial levels of the vitamin, retain adequate levels of the vitamin to meet dietary requirements even after cooking. Root vegetables are a good substitute source of the vitamin in the dry periods when greens are scarce. Traditionally fermented milk, in which the vitamin C is stable up to about 48 hours, is a valuable source of ascorbic acid in the diets of pastoralists, which are usually lacking in fruits and vegetables.