Does the Amount of Vitamin C Contained in Oranges Vary Among Countries? Assessment Example

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Introduction

Vitamin C is an important nutritional element. The development of different elements that contribute to the production of sources for this particular vitamin is deemed important especially when it comes to improving the function of immune system, development of healthy gums and proper improvement aspects for better and healthier skin. Also known as ‘ascorbic acid’ vitamin C is a known cofactor of eight other different enzymes that particularly synthesize specific reactions that could also cause irregularities such as scurvy. One of the richest sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits such as oranges.

In this particular experimental study, the specific source of vitamin C [oranges] shall be better identified and tested for their citrus content. Relatively, it is believed that the more juice there is in the fruit, the higher the rate of vitamin C that could be collected from the said fruit. To set measurement through comparison, several types of oranges have been collected depending on the region from where they have been produced from. At this point, the measurement results would not only yield an obvious truth about the volume of liquid collected defining the capacity of the fruit for juice extraction, but also allows for the identification of the different environmental factors that contribute to the production of highly citrus oranges.

Comparing oranges produced from four different regions of the world, America, South Africa, Spain and Brazil, the elements of environment that are apparently contributing to the quality of the said fruit shall also be given particular attention thus identifying the said factors accordingly.

Hypothesis

Even though oranges are expected to be most effectively produced in tropical countries where it is most likely warm it is expected that the capacity of the fruit to store more juice is dependent on the warmth of the environment, which further enables the fruit to absorb water thus making more citrus produce. Relatively, the more the juice the fruit has, the higher the vitamin C content it has which could later on be extracted for direct medical use and application.

It is then hypothesized in this study that the oranges coming from Spain and Brazil would yield more juice given that the environment of the said countries have a relatively balanced condition of warmth and coolness at the point of changing seasons. It is assumed that because South Africa has a relatively ‘hot’ and not warm environment, the juice would be lesser due to too much evaporation. On the other hand, the samples from the American soil would yield smaller amount of juice volume due to the rapid changing seasons in the country.

Variables Used for the Completion of the Study

Assumptions:

As based from the hypothesis that was introduced, I have also assumed that the test would reveal samples from Brazil and Spain to be most citrus hence making the said samples more capable of yielding higher rate of vitamin C compared from the sample that came from South Africa and America respectively.

Procedure:

Instruments:

• 5 samples from each region [America, South Africa, Spain and Brazil] : a total of 20 oranges all in all
• Juicer
• Dropper
• Graduated cylinder

Methodologies:

• Five samples from each region are bought from the market in an early morning shopping appointment. The time for buying the fruits was set in the morning to be assured of the freshness of each sample.
• Each sample is separated and labeled according to their regional source
• The samples are tested five times, which allows for the utilization of all 5 oranges bought to represent the produce of each region concerned.
• The juice is squeezed out from the fruit and placed in a graduated cylinder; the drops are to be counted through the dropper and this should be the source of comparison for this study. (This procedure is to be completed repeatedly all throughout the experiment to get a relatively balanced source of information for the assessment needed)

Ethical Consideration:

The ethical element that should be considered in this study is most likely related to the condition by which the oranges have been chosen from a row of sellers in the market. Basically, the pricing and everything else is assumed in this study to have an implication on the quality of the orange being bought. Hence, to make sure that the oranges to be bought are fresh, several considerations have been given attention to, even when it comes to the branding of the oranges offered in the market. This is where the margin of bias might be of great use in defining whether or not the oranges garnered are indeed fresh.

Safety Precautions:

The safety precautions considered in this study is most likely concentrated on how the procedures are completed. Relatively, from the point of juicing the fruit towards measuring the yielded liquid, a close observation on how the results are treated, measured and recorded become a serious concern for the sake of establishing the study’s validation and reliability.

Results:

Results. As seen from the graphic presentation shown, it could be realized that the Spanish orange yielded more juice than all the others did.

Results Analysis:

As seen from the graphic presentation shown in the section above, it could be realized that the Spanish orange yielded more juice than all the others did. On the other end, the South African and the Brazilian Oranges yielded closely related volume of juice extract. The American orange yielded the least juice extract compared to all other samples.

At this point, it could be said that the hypothesis and the assumptions that were first introduced in this study was relatively connected to the truth of the yielded results. Basically, the assumption of the warmth of the region and its balance with all the other climates that the said countries experience have been proven affective on the development of oranges’ capability to store more juice within each fruit. Hence, as assumed in the overall coverage of the study, the juice extract that can be stored in a fruit mostly grown in tropical islands and countries is mostly affected by the condition of the environment that the surrounds the said fruit as it grows. In this regard, it is then considered that the oranges from Spain have more valuable source of vitamin C given the amount of juice it is able to produce especially considering its volume of concentration.

Conclusion:

This experiment further proves that the vitamin C content of oranges may relatively vary in relation to the regional sources they have been basically garnered from. Being able to see how much vitamin C is extracted from the juice that has been squeezed however remains to be an assumption. Given that separation and identification of different chemical substances in the yielded juice would require more intricate experimentation, it is hoped that such an aim would be given way in further researches and experiments to follow.

Evaluation: