USSION
The retention of vitamin C is often used as an estimate for the overall nutrient retention of food products because it is highly sensitive to oxidation and leaching into water-soluble media during storage (Davey et al., 2000). It begins to degrade immediately after harvest and degrades steadily during prolonged storage (Murcia et al., 2000). Results for the freshly squeezed fruits shows that oranges had the highest vitamin C content, followed by grapes, lemons and limes. This is consistent with reports that, climate, especially temperature affect vitamin C level. Areas with cool nights produce citrus fruits with higher vitamin C levels. Hot tropical areas produce fruit with lower levels of vitamin C (Padayatty et al., 2003). Also environment conditions that increase the acidity of citrus fruits also increase vitamin C levels.