The Nicotinic Acid Content of Common Fruits and Vegetables as Prepared for Human Consumption

Abstract

By means of the microbiological method nicotinic acid was determined in thirteen fresh vegetables, in both the raw and the cooked state, eight fresh raw vegetables, six cooked dried legumes, three canned vegetables, seven fresh fruits and ten canned fruit juices. The nicotinic acid content was highest for fresh peas, asparagus and avocado pears and lowest for certain of the fruits and fruit juices. Seeds of legumes, both fresh and dried, gave fairly high values, while the values for root crops and blanched leaves were low. Considerable variation was found among different samples of the same crop. During cooking, there was a loss of the factor which averaged as follows: fresh legumes, 8%; roots and tubers, 9%; flowery plants, 17%; and leafy plants, 22%. In addition, the cooking water contained from 2 to 41% (average 12%) of the total nicotinic acid. The liquid associated with the canned vegetables contained from 30 to 40% of the total nicotinic acid.