The total vitamin C levels (AA and DAA) in six freshly harvested vegetables ranged from 482 to 582mg 100g dry weight. Vitamin C is present as l-xyloascorbic acid (AA) in all the vegetables investigated except Corchorus olitorus where some partially oxidised form (DAA) was detected at a level of 1·8% of the total vitamin C. The total vitamin C losses of blanched vegetable leaves varied from 62·2 to 93·1%. DAA accounted for 3·4 to 19·4% of the total vitamin C left in blanched leaves and for between 0 and 2·8% of the total vitamin C extracted into the blanching water. During the blanching of vegetables, enzymic oxidation of vitamin C is more important than non-enzymic oxidation by oxygen, catalysed by traces of metals such as copper and iron.