Assessment of the vitamin C content in selected baby leafy species over the season

Baby leaf vegetables have naturally high levels of vitamin C, of which the major part is found as ascorbic acid (AsA). A higher level of AsA at harvest may prolong the shelf life of this perishable vegetable commodity. Temperature has been shown to be one of the factors that affect AsA synthesis in plants, as well as light and day length, and all these factors vary over the season. This study compared different baby leaf species, different baby leaf spinach cultivars and variation in vitamin C content in commercially grown baby leaf spinach over the season. AsA levels as well as dehydro ascorbic acid (DHA) levels on both fresh and dry weight basis were analyzed. These preliminary results indicate that vitamin C content varies greatly between baby leaf species and that exactly the same type of bag of baby leaf spinach from the same super market can contain leaves with a vitamin C content varying between 50-350 mg kg^-1 fw over the season.