Fruit-based infant foods, together with cereals, are the first foodstuffs
introduced in the diet of the unweaned infant, contributing to
cover the vitamin requirements, especially those of vitamin C. Ascorbic
acid (AA) has multiple biochemical roles, though it primarily acts
as a water-soluble antioxidant in the human body (Martí et al.,
2009). The recommended dietary allowances for vitamin C are 40
or 50 mg/day in unweaned infants from 0 to 6 or 7 to 12 months of
age, respectively (Food and Nutrition Board, 2010). On the other
hand, the maximum amount of added vitamin C allowed in fruitbased
infant foods is 125 mg/100 kcal (Directive 2006/125/CE).
To guarantee the quality of processing, storage, and the nutritional
and organoleptic qualities of these products, use has been