Studies on the Vitamin C in Vegetables and Fruits (Report 9) : Variation of Vitamin C Content related to the Growth of Light Colored Edible Herbs

Amongst edible herbs, some green colored vegetables including lettuce, garland chrysanthemum, carrot leaves, and radish leaves were studied with respect to changes in vitamin C content in different parts and during the growth period. The following results were obtained. (1) Vitamin C during the growth period was generally highest in the initial period of growth when growth was most active. Subsequently as growth became sluggish, Vitamin C gradually decreased. However, the rate of decrease was less as compared with those of light colored edible herbs. This was probably due to the fact that the entire leaves of green colored edible herbs generally consisted of vegetative organs. (2) In terms of parts of these green colored edible herbs, they contained more vitamin C in the inner part of core which was the growing portion than in its outer part through the entire growth. Although the outer leaves had a dark green color, the content of vitamin C was found to be the least. Vith garland chrysanthemum, as development progressed, its lateral leaves had less vitamin C content despite the fact that the lateral leaves branching from the main stem were in a juvenile stage. They had much less vitamin C than the outer leaves of the main stem.