Which processing method destroys vitamin C and folic acid?

• A. UHT
• B. Pasteurization
• C. Boiling
• D. Freezing

Answer: (A)

Vitamins C and folic acid are highly sensitive to heat, especially when foods are heated in water or exposed to high temperatures. Ultra-high temperature processing subjects foods to very high heat (around 135–150°C) for only a few seconds to sterilize. That intense heat rapidly breaks down these heat-labile vitamins, leading to greater losses than other common methods. While pasteurization and boiling can also reduce vitamin C and folate, they don’t reach the same extreme temperatures, so the losses are typically less. Freezing, in contrast, largely preserves these vitamins because chemical reactions slow down at low temperatures. So the method involving ultra-high temperatures destroys vitamin C and folic acid the most.