The Kinetics of Ascorbic Acid Degradation in Ogbono Soup during Cooking

Abstract

Degradation kinetics of ascorbic acid was investigated in ‘ogbono’ soup during cooking at different temperatures between 60^oC and 80^oC. The results confirmed that mixed order kinetics (of zero- and first-order model) is adequate in describing the degradation reactions. The rate constant increased with temperature according to an Arrhenius-type relationship. The activation energy was 34KJ/mol and at the average temperature of the range tested, the rate constant was 4.2 x 10^-4/hr.

Keywords: Ascorbic acid, Cooking, Degradation, Irvingia gabonensis, Mixed order kinetics