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If you want to squeeze the most vitamin C out of your orange juice, a study from ASU East recommends drinking the juice weeks before its expiration date.

The study was published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association and led by Carol Johnston, a professor of nutrition at East. The research found that ready-to-serve orange juice loses more vitamin C the longer it is opened, and frozen-concentration juice contains the most vitamin C.

After four weeks, an open container of ready-to-serve orange juice can lose up to 45 milligrams of vitamin C per cup, the study found. Orange juice packaged in a frozen state stabilizes and retains vitamin C.

Johnston recommends buying ready-to-serve drinks three to four weeks before expiration and consuming the juice at least one week prior to the expiration date.

"This study is important because the most important source of vitamin C is orange juice," said Linda Vaughan, chair of department of nutrition at East. "If the container has been opened, the content of vitamin C is lost and people are not getting as much vitamin C as they think they are."

The loss of vitamin C in ready-to-serve juices is caused mostly from oxygen getting into the container. It also depends on the season when the oranges are picked, the production process, storage and whether the juice is pasteurized or not, Johnston said.

"Of course, eating an orange is the best bet," Johnston said.

Orange juice is one of the best sources of vitamin C, folic acid and soluble fiber, according to ADA spokeswoman Gail Frank.

The average adult male should consume 90 milligrams per day and the average female needs 75 milligrams per day. Since vitamin C contains antioxidants and antihistamines, it can prevent allergies, cancer and heart disease in the long run, according to Johnston.

For students who are on-the-go, Vaughan recommends buying single serving packages of orange juice and to drink it all once it's been opened.

Reach the reporter at kristin.roberts@asu.edu.


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