Use of an electrochemically etched platinum microelectrode for ascorbic acid mapping in oranges.

A positionable platinum microelectrode fabricated by electrochemical etching was used to monitor the concentration of ascorbic acid in fruits and vegetables. Studies carried out with ascorbate oxidase confirmed the suitability of the amperometric sensor to measure selectively the ascorbic acid content. The results obtained with the proposed method for ascorbic acid determination in orange juices compared well with those found by iodimetry with coulometrically generated iodine. The standard deviation calculated by measuring limiting current values in voltammograms was found to be 3% (n = 150). The sensor allowed the evaluation of the spatial distribution of ascorbic acid concentration in oranges by in-situ measurements. Ascorbic acid concentration maps show that in a perpendicular cut the concentration is higher near the peel to the center of the fruit. In a parallel cut, the concentration increases with the distance to the stem. A correlation between the ripening stage and the ascorbic acid concentration was also observed from electrochemical measurements, the content being higher in mature fruits.