Applesauce vs. apple

Peter is a picky eater ever since he was very little. There are certain things that he decided that he would not eat for his whole life just after a single lick using the very tip of his tougue, such as mushrooms, eggplants, kiwi etc. There are some other fruits that he would just chew it up, suck whatever juice that's in, then dump all the solid residue out of his mouth, including apples, peaches, and now, one more added, brocolli. Well, as nutrition balancing is concerned, unfortunately, it is my job to figure out a way to get the nutrition in his body without forcing this little guy do anything he dislikes. ---Poor me. :(

I was making applesauce (it was actually first time for me) with Yaya on Sunday when all of a sudden, I realized that by simmering, there is no way vitamin C could be fully preserved. As a chemist, I could not stop thinking about this possiblity and have been doing some online research today. It seems so far the conclusion is: not only vitamine C is lost, so is fiber, partially. So, how much point still lies in there to give Peter applesauce as a substituent for apples? The more I think, the scarier this becomes. Now I begin to wonder, if all the canned baby food(fruits and veggies) is made the same way, is it really a good way to introduce nutrients to babies or should new parents somehow try to find their own way to introduce those nutrients through raw fruits or vegetables (which I remember, is not recommended in this country due to some chemical used in growing those greens in a general farm or garden.)