continuing professional development activity for dietitians

SAJCN CPD activity No 27 - July/August 2004

"Ascorbic acid losses in vegetables associated with cook-chill food preparation"

(Ref number: DT 04/3/079/12)

ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS INDICATED IN BOLD

1. A cook-chill food service system is a catering system whereby food is fully cooked, then fast-frozen until subsequent reheating close to the consumer before consumption.
   1. True
   2. False
2. Vitamin C losses during cold storage at 2 oC are between 10% and 20 % per day.
   1. True
   2. False
3. Reheating a bulk portion of food results in lower vitamin C losses compared to reheating individually portioned food for the same length of time.
   1. True
   2. False
4. ß A previous study of older South African women found that one in three subjects had a low (<0.4mg/dl) plasma vitamin C status.
   1. True
   2. False
5. Of the 4 vegetables sampled, ascorbic acid losses associated with the cooking process were highest for broccoli.
   1. True
   2. False
6. During chilled storage in the holdroom, average ascorbic acid loss was 6.5 % per day.
   1. True
   2. False
7. After regeneration at ward level on day 6 (i.e. first day that patients would receive the food), the average ascorbic acid loss in the 4 vegetables was 90.5 %.
   1. True
   2. False
8. The present study estimates that subjects in a long-stay institution in Cape Town would receive a mean of 36 mg of vitamin C per day.
   1. True
   2. False
9. Using the cook-chill method, the most significant AA losses occurred between the blastchilling and regeneration stage in all of the vegetables sampled in the present study.
   1. True
   2. False
10. In the cook-chill food service system it is recommended that the holding temperature remains between 0 and 3 oC.
    1. True
    2. False
11. The vitamin C content of foods consists of two biologically active forms of the vitamin. - dehydro-ascorbic acid (DHAA) and ascorbic acid (AA). AA is the oxidised form of the vitamin.
    1. True
    2. False
12. In the South African Food Composition Tables, the values given for vitamin C refer only to the ascorbic acid (AA) content of food.
    1. True
    2. False