Activity

Vitamin C and the future

In this activity, students use the Futures thinking toolkit to investigate vitamin C and new fruit varieties.

Daily requirement of vitamin C

Dr Sean Bulley from Plant & Food Research along with Carolyn Cairncross from the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation explain the importance of vitamin C in the diet. Examples of plant foods rich in vitamin C are given, and advice is offered about the efficacy of vitamin C supplementation.

Point of interest Some nutritionists believe that the daily dose of vitamin C is best taken in by consuming a plant food, like kiwifruit, rather than in tablet form. What is the reason for this?

Rights: University of Waikato

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

  • describe the role vitamin C plays in human metabolism

  • state the approximate vitamin C content of two or more common fruits

  • state the recommended daily dose value

  • discuss possible future vitamin C-enriched fruit cultivars.

Download the Word file (see link below) for:

  • introduction/background notes

  • what you need

  • what to do.

Published: 18 March 2011,Updated: 18 March 2011