Losses of Vitamins in Large-Scale Cookery

Abstract

Preliminary studies were made in a large industrial cafeteria to determine the losses in vitamins in vegetables under actual operating conditions. The losses, in per cent, ranged as follows: thiamine 16 to 64; niacin 2 to 61; riboflavin 22 to 45; ascorbic acid 27 to 90. Changes were then made in the vegetable cookery by decreasing radically the time of cooking large quantities. The time of holding vegetables between cooking and service was also cut to a minimum. Texture, flavor and appearance were improved. A comparison of the thiochrome and fungus assay methods for the determination of thiamine gave excellent results for analyses in vegetables.