Assessment of Some Commercial Fruit Juices Commonly Consumed in Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State Nigeria, for Lipid Peroxidation Intermediates and Antioxidant Vitamin

Fruit juice are commercially produced and consumed as supplements to normal diet especially in the Northern Nigeria. They could be contaminated due to poor quality control and environmental factors, thereby increasing the risk of food borne diseases in the community. Lipid peroxidation studies were carried out on some commercial fruit juice products consumed within the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria to determine their safety levels. A total of eighteen samples were used in the study. Lipid peroxidation was determined in the samples using standard biochemical methods.The results show that there was significant differences (p<0.05) on the malondialdehyde concentration in samples D and F compared to the other samples. The malonaldehyde content was not significantly different (p>0.05). The results show that the ascorbic acid contents of samples A and B were significantly higher compared to sample F. The study shows that some of the fruit juice samples marketed in Makurdi have appreciable degree of peroxidation in them as indicated on their malondialdehyde levels and corresponding low levels of ascorbic acids. The public health importance of these results was highlighted. Keywords: Fruit juice, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant vitamins