Question

Which food has the greater nutritional density of vitamin C: (a) an 8-ounce (237 ml) serving of orange juice that contains 125 milligrams of vitamin C and has 111 calories, or (b) an 8-ounce serving of a sport drink that contains 175 milligrams of vitamin C and has 250 calories?

Answer 1

Answer: (a) an 8-ounce (237 ml) serving of orange juice that contains 125 milligrams of vitamin C and has 111 calories

Explanation:

Nutrient density or nutritional density reflects the ratio of the nutrient content to the total energy content of the food. Therefore the nutrient density is expressed in terms of the amount of a specific nutrient (in weight) per 1000 calories or joules

Comparing the nutritional density of the two drinks;

(a) For an 8-ounce (237 ml) serving of orange juice that contains 125 milligrams of vitamin C and has 111 calories(111/1000 Kcal) or 0.111Kcal

nutritional density = 125mg/0.111Kcal = 1126.126 mg/Kcal

(b) For an 8-ounce serving of a sport drink that contains 175 milligrams of vitamin C and has 250 calories(250/1000 Kcal) or 0.250Kcal

nutritional density = 175/0.250Kcal =700 mg/Kcal.

Therefore, an 8-ounce (237 ml) serving of orange juice that contains 125 milligrams of vitamin C and has 111 calories has a greater nutritional density of Vitamin C than an 8-ounce serving of a sport drink that contains 175 milligrams of vitamin C and has 250 calories.