Does freezing have any effect on the amount of vitamin C in a carrot? What is the effect?
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If you blanch the carrots for 5 minutes if whole or 2 minutes if sliced, then plunge into ice water, you will stop enzymes from depleting the nutritional value of the food.
About 25% of the vitamin C is lost during the blanching process that is done before foods are frozen.
Still, on the whole, freezing them is better than letting them go to waste.
From what I understand, with certain sorts of vitamins and minerals, freezing preserves their value better than cooking them. THis is why there's a whole 'raw foods movement' out there. ON the other hand, with other certain sorts of veg, such as tomatoes (lycopene) and greens, the nutritional value increases if the veg is cooked.
IN the case of carrots, I believe that freezing them will preserve the vitamin/mineral content.
It seems that whether to blanch or freeze may be a personal choice but either way (if done properly) they lose very little vitamin content.
Just be sure to freeze them properly and use within about 3 months. Carrots will never be crisp again so they are best used in stews, soups or in a mashed dish (very good with mashed potatoes).
Here is a good site for instructions on fresh freezing (no blanching):
Actually carrots are a good choice for freezing. Those and leafy vegetables and broccoli. The fat-soluble nutrients (like vitamin a and carotenoids are more stable during their processing in these foods.
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