The ascorbic acid content of quick frozen Brussels sprouts

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Abstract
Summary: The effect of maturity, variety, stage of the season, post‐harvest delay, processing procedures and end‐cooking on the ascorbic acid content of commercially quick frozen Brussels sprouts has been studied. The ascorbic acid content of sprouts decreased with increasing size and the distribution of the vitamin within the sprout showed the meristem to have the highest concentration which decreased through the inner light green leaves to the outer dark green leaves. The progressive reduction in ascorbic acid content during the 3 1/2 month harvesting period prevented the establishment of any significant findings for differences in the nutrient level of nine varieties of Brussels sprouts. Post‐harvest delay caused no reduction of ascorbic acid content and, during processing, losses were only incurred at the blanching stage. Retention values of 76‐89% ascorbic acid on a dry weight basis were found in the frozen product and, after cooking, fresh and frozen sprouts reained 59‐64% of the original vitamin C content. Loss of ascorbic acid due to leaching during commercial processing and end‐cooking appears to be considerably less for sprouts than for sliced green beans and marginally less than for peas.

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