In which food is Vitamin C found in the maximum amount?

Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019

Explanation

Papaya is an excellent source of Vitamin C, containing approximately 57-60 mg per 100g of fruit.
While oranges are also a very good source, data from nutritional textbooks shows that papaya often contains a comparable or slightly higher amount of Vitamin C.
Compared to tomato and apple, papaya has a significantly higher concentration of this essential vitamin, making it the correct choice for the maximum amount among the options.

Option A: Although fresh orange juice is a well-known and excellent source of Vitamin C (around 50-68 mg per 100g), some data indicates that papaya can have a slightly higher concentration.
Option B: Apple juice is a poor source of Vitamin C, containing only about 1-10 mg per 100g, which is significantly lower than the other options.
Option C: Tomato juice provides a moderate amount of Vitamin C (around 27-30 mg per 100g), but it is substantially less than that found in papaya or orange juice.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Nutritional sources of Vitamin C as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses should encourage patients, especially those recovering from surgery or with infections, to consume foods rich in Vitamin C to support wound healing and boost immunity.
Dietary counseling is a key nursing intervention. Knowing the best sources of various nutrients allows nurses to give practical and effective advice.
What if? If a patient needs to increase Vitamin C but is on a potassium-restricted diet (e.g., due to kidney disease), the nurse would need to be cautious. While oranges are high in Vitamin C, they are also high in potassium. Papaya is a good alternative as it has a moderate potassium level.

How to Approach the Question

Identify the key nutrient in the question, which is Vitamin C.
Recall or analyze the common food sources provided in the options.
Compare the relative amounts of Vitamin C in each food item. Remember that while some foods are famous for a nutrient (like oranges for Vitamin C), other less common sources might have even more.
Select the food item with the highest concentration of the nutrient.
For nutritional questions, it's often a matter of factual recall. If unsure, try to eliminate the options known to be low in the nutrient (like apple juice).

Concept Tested & Keywords

QwklG922M7Rzg3Jiy-66nY

E6 Nutrition Monika Sharma 3e p. 111-113

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 164-166

Practise the full AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.