Does concentrated fruit juice have the same amount of Vitamin C compared to fresh hand-squeezed fruit juice? Once you know the answer to this question, you may find yourself reaching for a different bottle of fruit juice!
     
  MY HYPOTHESIS: I believe that fresh hand-squeezed fruit juice has more Vitamin C. Why, you might ask? Because there is absolutely no difference between the Vitamin C that is from fresh hand-squeezed fruit juice and the Vitamin C that’s in actual fruits. Research shows that processing (cooking, microwaving, concentrating) any fruit reduced the nutrient value. Thus, I think that the juice that comes straight from fruits contains more Vitamin C than juice from concentrate!  
     
  The Vitamin C detective: In order to figure out the relative content of Vitamin C in fruits, I discovered an indicator solution that can easily be made from common household ingredients. The indicator solution binds to the Vitamin C. The more Vitamin C there is in a substance, the darker the color. And presto! Now you have a way of comparing the difference between freshly hand-squeezed or concentrate juice.  
     
  MATERIALS:  
 
  • Cornstarch
  • 2% iodine solution
  • Tap water
  • Measuring spoons
  • An eyedropper
  • Test tubes
  • A papaya, a kiwi, an orange, a grapefruit, a lemon and a pineapple
  • A bottle of grapefruit, lemon and orange juice from concentrate
  • A blender to obtain the juice from the fruits
  • A stove (make sure to ask an adult for help)
  • Pots
  
     
  METHOD:  
 
  1. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into enough water to make a paste.
  2. To this paste, add at exactly 250 milliliters of water and boil for five minutes.
  3. Add 10 drops of the starch solution to 75 milliliters of water by using your eyedropper.
  4. Add enough iodine to produce a dark purple-blue color. Now your indicator solution is ready.
  5. Put 5 milliliters of indicator solution (roughly 1 teaspoon) in a 15-milliliter test tube (one for each sample).
  6. To the test tube, use a clean eyedropper to add 10 drops of juice from your fresh fruits. For solids, pulp them in a blender and strain the juice well. Wash and clean the eyedropper for each sample. Shake well.
  7. Place all of your test tubes against a white background.
  8. Line up the tubes from lightest to darkest purple. The lighter the solution, the higher the level of Vitamin C content. That’s because Vitamin C causes the purple indicator solution to lose its color.
  
     
  OBSERVATIONS:  
 
  1. Exactly like Fruity Fun experiment, I observed that when I combined the iodine with the cornstarch solution, the iodine swirled around the cornstarch solution. As well, there were tiny bubbly balls that had been created by the iodine.
  2. I remarked that the fresh hand-squeezed grapefruit juice was extremely clear, while the grapefruit juice from concentrate was an odd dark shade of purple-blue. This was when the juices had been mixed with the indicator solution.
  3. With the fresh hand-squeezed orange juice, I saw that it was rather clear with an orange hue! The orange juice from concentrate was a mix of orange, brown and blue color! Again, this was when the juices had been mixed with the indicator solution.
  4. When I looked deeply into the test tube with the fresh hand-squeezed fruit juice, I observed that is was very clear, as if it was actual tap water that had been colored with a light blue. However, in the test tube with the lemon juice from concentrate, I observed that the color was a dark purple.
 
     
  THE RESULTS:  
 
  1. The fresh hand-squeezed grapefruit juice compared to the grapefruit juice from concentrate: The fresh hand-squeezed grapefruit juice is the most clear as it has the most Vitamin C!
  2. The fresh hand-squeezed orange juice compared to the orange juice from concentrate: The orange juice from concentrate does not contain as much Vitamin compared to the fresh hand-squeezed orange juice.
  3. The fresh hand-squeezed lemon juice compared to the lemon juice from concentrate: The fresh hand-squeezed lemon juice appears to have the most Vitamin C!
  
     
 
 
     
  CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, my hypothesis was correct as the juice from fruits that has been freshly hand-squeezed does contain the most Vitamin C! So, if you want to stay healthy and strong, drink fruit juice that has been freshly hand-squeezed as it is full of Vitamin C!		  
     
     
       
     
       
       
         
         
         
         
         
         
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