Determination of the Vitamin C Content of Conventionally and Organically Grown Fruits by Cyclic Voltammetry

Organic fruits are perceived to have a higher nutritional content than conventionally grown fruits, but currently literature is rather ambiguous on the accuracy of this claim. Using vitamin C concentration as a nutritional marker, we found no clear or significant difference in the nutritional content between organically grown and conventionally grown fruit. The fruits analyzed were: oranges, mangoes, kiwi, lemons, gala apples, and red delicious apples. Of the six types of fruits analyzed by cyclic voltammetry only one, lemon, demonstrated a significantly higher vitamin C concentration for organically grown versus conventionally grown fruit. Our results suggest that other factors are more influential on vitamin C levels than whether fruits are organically or conventionally grown.