BIOLOGY

Determination of the Glucose Content of an Orange

Determination of the Glucose Content of an Orange

Introduction

Orange is one of the most popular fruit from the citrus family. Every part of this fruit, together with the rind has some nutritional value (Beutler, 1988, p.322). Orange can be consumed in the form of juice or raw after removing the rind. Since years, orange juice has become an essential part of our every day breakfast for the reason that it is measured as a fresh and absolutely nutritious way to begin a day. Oranges, like any other citrus fruit are also full of vitamin C. Together with this; orange is also very rich source of vitamin A and B. It also full of minerals for instance, iron, minerals, sodium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sulphur and copper (Beutler, 1988, p.324). The white element of the orange peel is loaded with vitamin C and a dietary fibre, known as pectin which is utilized as gelling agent. To the extent that vitamin C is concerned, contact with air lessens the amount of vitamin C present in oranges or orange juice. Therefore, it is sensible to consume oranges, shortly after they are peeled off. On the other hand, orange juice ought to be kept in the refrigerator to save its vitamin C content.

Discussion

Oranges are an exceptional source of vitamin C and a wonderful source of folate and fibre. There is no cholesterol, sodium or fat in oranges and a normal sized orange is comprised of only eighty calories. Orange acquires its sweet flavour from natural sugars. It is said that an average sized orange is comprised of nineteen grams of carbohydrates, out of which thirteen grams are sugar (McCleary & Blakeney, 1999, p.402). Basically, oranges are comprised of three types of sugar that is glucose, sucrose and fructose.

Glucose

Glucose makes up for 3 grams of the sugar in an average sized orange. It is the simplest sugar and the gets easily absorbed into the bloodstream. It is also referred as dextrose when mixed with foods. It has also been observed that all sugars and carbohydrates are eventually sliced into glucose due to the fact that it is the type in which sugar gets into the cells to provide us an energy boost.

Sucrose

The sugar present in the largest quantity in oranges is sucrose. It is said that sucrose stands for 6.5 grams of the 13 grams of sugar in an average sized orange. Sucrose is a blend of the other two kinds of sugar in oranges that is fructose and glucose. It is what we usually denote as table sugar (Pashley, 2003). In addition to this, it has also been noted that sugar offers calories however no other nutrients. This sugar does not lead to diabetes; however individuals who are diagnosed with diabetes may necessitate restricting their sugar ingestion.

Fructose

Fructose makes up for the 2nd largest quantity of sugar in oranges. An average sized orange has 3.5 grams of fructose. This form of sugar is one of the major sugars discovered in ...