The Effects of Container Material on the Concentration of Ascorbic Acid in Orange Juice Pre and Post Exposure to UVB Light
This research evaluates the ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) concentration in orange juice packaged in laminated paperboard and polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET) before and after exposure to ultraviolet B light (UVB). The investigation explores which packaging material prevents the degradation of ascorbic acid. This research was meant to impact the nutrition industry and packaging engineers to determine what type of material is more beneficial to consumers’ health.
The ascorbic acid concentration was evaluated pre and post UVB exposure, and 15 trials were conducted for each type of packaging. A titration method, with a brown-gray endpoint, involving iodine solution and soluble starch indicator was utilized. It was hypothesized that the PET would result in the greatest degradation of ascorbic acid after UVB exposure.
A descriptive analysis was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference between the concentration of ascorbic acid before and after UVB exposure.
After analyzing the data, the hypothesis that the PET plastic would result in the highest degradation of the concentration of ascorbic acid after UVB exposure was rejected. As the ascorbic acid was exposed to UVB light, the concentration increased. This contradicts the science that supports ascorbic acid being light sensitive. This alludes to a flaw in the execution of the experiment yielding unreliable results, and therefore any conclusions to be drawn about packaging material could not be made.
Research Conducted By:
Taylor Aleo
Fraser High School
Joel Koshko
Cousino High School
Warren Consolidated Schools