![\"Orange](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2013\/10\/Orange-Juice-Vitamin-C-300x296.png?resize=283%2C280\")
If you want some vitamin C, where do you turn? Most people might say orange juice.<\/p>\nIf you want some vitamin C, where do you turn? Most people might say orange juice.<\/p>\n
So you go to the grocery store \u2014 and that\u2019s where it gets complicated.<\/p>\n
Take a look at fresh-squeezed, raw juice. Despite what you might think, this juice may contain low amounts of vitamin C. One reason is that orange varieties differ in ascorbic acid\u00a0and water content, possibly making a very dilute juice. Secondly, crushed fruit contains active enzymes that can start destroying the vitamin C as soon as it\u2019s squeezed.<\/p>\n
![\"juice](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2013\/10\/juice-aisle-184x300.jpg?resize=147%2C240\")
What about commercially available juice that is \u201cNot from Concentrate\u201d? Juice makers go to great lengths to produce a consistent product not seen in the raw juice, using large batches of oranges from a variety of sources and methods to deactivate enzymes in the fruit. However, this juice is also pasteurized, and heat destroys vitamin C! Many manufacturers add it back to make up for this loss.<\/p>\n
There is another wrinkle: vitamin C is destroyed not only by heat but also by light and oxygen. Studies have shown that vitamin C continues to disappear in the refrigerator. Further, vitamin C\u00a0disappears faster at 50\u00b0F (10\u00b0C) compared to 40\u00b0F (~4\u00b0C) or lower. While most home refrigerators are around 35-40\u00b0F, but those open cases at the grocery store are warmer.<\/p>\n
Other studies have shown that orange juice packaged in polyethylene or polystyrene can let oxygen inside, causing the vitamin C to degrade over time. Clear plastic containers let in light that accelerates this process as well. And, what\u2019s more, this doesn\u2019t stop once you take the bottle home.<\/p>\n
Another option is frozen:\u00a0frozen orange juice concentrate actually contains the most vitamin C. In addition, freezing stabilizes it\u00a0for long-term storage. Good, right?<\/p>\n
![\"Disintegrating](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2013\/10\/Disintegrating-Ascorbate-271x300.png?resize=163%2C180\")
<\/p>\n
Well, not quite. Studies have shown that reconstituted orange juice from concentrate loses ascorbic acid\u00a0faster than bottled juice purchased from the store. It is not entirely clear why, but it may relate to the metals in the water used (iron and copper can destroy vitamin C), the acidity of the liquid\u00a0(it is more stable in\u00a0acid), and\/or more exposure to oxygen.<\/p>\n
Now that you know\u00a0this, what should you do?<\/p>\n
The chemistry may be\u00a0complicated, but it doesn’t mean you should stay away from orange juice. If you load up on lots of sources of vitamin C, you can make up for any loss due to storage or processing.<\/p>\n
Just use it as a lesson that with\u00a0vitamin C, everything is not necessarily simple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you want some vitamin C, where do you turn? Most people might say orange juice. So you go to the grocery store \u2014 and that\u2019s where it gets complicated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5337,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[582783,582794],"tags":[210655,160035,165491],"class_list":["post-790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-living-tips","category-vitaminmineral-faqs","tag-juice","tag-vitamin-c","tag-vitamins"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1203,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2015\/05\/28\/questions-about-vitamin-c\/","url_meta":{"origin":790,"position":0},"title":"Questions about Vitamin C","author":"Alexander Michels, PhD","date":"May 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Have questions about vitamin C? As part of the\u00a0webinar by our resident expert on vitamin C, Alexander Michels, PhD, answered questions submitted online. If you have more questions you would like answered,\u00a0see\u00a0part 2\u00a0of this FAQ or\u00a0feel free to ask! Vitamin C in the Body How long does vitamin C\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Vitamin\/Mineral FAQs"","block_context":{"text":"Vitamin\/Mineral FAQs","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/vitaminmineral-faqs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orange - a source of vitamin C","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2015\/06\/Orange-with-Relfection.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1146,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2015\/02\/05\/vitamin-c-colds-new-beginning\/","url_meta":{"origin":790,"position":1},"title":"Vitamin C and Colds: New Beginning","author":"Alexander Michels, PhD","date":"February 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cDon\u2019t waste clean thinking on dirty data.\u201d For decades we have been trying to understand the effects of vitamin C on the immune system.\u00a0Linus Pauling wrote Vitamin C and the Common Cold in 1970, and sometimes it feels like we haven't made any progress. The\u00a0best and most comprehensive analysis of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LPI Take"","block_context":{"text":"LPI Take","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/lpi-take\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Woman with Cold","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/1431\/files\/2015\/02\/disease-4392149_640-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1218,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2015\/06\/04\/more-questions-about-vitamin-c\/","url_meta":{"origin":790,"position":2},"title":"Analyzing Ascorbic Acid: More Questions About Vitamin C","author":"Alexander Michels, PhD","date":"June 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Do you have questions about vitamin C for our expert Dr. Alexander Michels? See our first vitamin C FAQ, look below, or ask us here and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Health Effects of Vitamin C Does vitamin C cause high blood sugar? What\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Vitamin\/Mineral FAQs"","block_context":{"text":"Vitamin\/Mineral FAQs","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/vitaminmineral-faqs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Vitamin C tablets","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2015\/05\/supplement-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":647,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2014\/01\/14\/keep-taking-your-vitamins\/","url_meta":{"origin":790,"position":3},"title":"Keep Taking Your Vitamins","author":"freib","date":"January 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"An article by Paul Offit titled \u201cThe Vitamin Myth: Why We Think We Need Supplements\u201d\u00a0has been part of the media blitz surrounding so-called negative claims of vitamin and mineral supplements. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University has a different point of view - one that is based on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LPI Take"","block_context":{"text":"LPI Take","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/lpi-take\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"multivitamins","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2014\/01\/multivitamins-300x140.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1545,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2016\/03\/31\/nutrition-facts-label\/","url_meta":{"origin":790,"position":4},"title":"Why the Nutrition Facts Label Can Lead You Astray","author":"Alexander Michels, PhD","date":"March 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"On the back of every cereal box, frozen dinner, condiment bottle, and any other packaged food, you will find the Nutrition Facts label. Introduced by the Food and Drug Administration over 25 years ago, the purpose of this labeling system is to help consumers make more informed food choices. Thus\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Healthy Living Tips"","block_context":{"text":"Healthy Living Tips","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/healthy-living-tips\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FDA Nutrition Facts Label 2006","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2016\/03\/FDA_Nutrition_Facts_Label_2006-522x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1186,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/2015\/04\/08\/everyone-needs-vitamin-e\/","url_meta":{"origin":790,"position":5},"title":"Remember: You Need Vitamin E","author":"Alexander Michels, PhD","date":"April 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Clinical trials involving vitamin E supplementation have been mixed\u00a0\u2013 some showed benefits, while others did not.\u00a0Some trials even\u00a0reported negative\u00a0outcomes associated with taking vitamin E. Is it time to\u00a0ditch your vitamin E supplement? Perhaps - but find out why first. Although it wasn't the first trial to show negative effects of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Feature Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Feature Stories","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/category\/feature-stories\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"vitamin E pills","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/files\/2014\/10\/vitamin-E.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5337"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=790"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1706,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/790\/revisions\/1706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/linuspaulinginstitute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}