3.2. Modeled changes in vitamin C concentration in canned green beans
The model also showed a decrease in vitamin C concentration along processing. The mean vitamin C concentration in unprocessed green bean was equal to 16.9 mg.100 g−1 with a 95% variability interval (VI) of [4.0; 30.3] mg.100 g−1 and markedly decreased to 7.5 mg 100 g−1 [0.6, 14.9] after blanching, to 6.2 mg 100 g−1 [0.3, 12.5] after sterilization, and to 2.3 mg.100 g−1 [0, 5.6] after processing and storage (Fig. 2). Most vitamin C was under the AA form with AA oxidation compensating DHA degradation. Decrease in vitamin C concentration continued during storage because of oxidation and diffusion from cooked and sterilized green beans to the cover brine. Variation in vitamin C concentration was shared between variability and uncertainty (Fig. 2). The uncertainty of vitamin C concentrations at the different steps of processing was relatively constant and accounted only for a few mg.100 g−1 vitamin C. Consequently uncertainty did not affect much the main conclusions of the model.