Ascorbic Acid Compound

Bintari Catur Anjarwati

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Surabaya State

University, Surabaya, Indonesia

bintarianjarwati@gmail.com

Abstract

Ascorbic acid or commonly known as Vitamin C, is a vitamin that found in a variety

of foods, is also one of the most important nutrients in fruits and vegetables. Several fruits
contain vitamin C such as oranges, tomatoes, apples and pineapples. Ascorbic acid or vitamin
C is an organic compound that is formed naturally and cannot be synthesized by humans.
Ascorbic acid or vitamin C is a water soluble compound that can found in living organisms.
Ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for various metabolism in our body and also serves as a
reagent for food industry and for the preparation of many materials in the pharmaceutical. In
addition, vitamin C or ascorbic acid also has many uses including which can reduced risk of
cardiovascular disease and can reduce the risk of cancer. But too much vitamin C is also not
good for the body.

Keywords: Ascorbic acid, vitamin C, fruits, vagatable, cancer, and pneumonia

Ascorbic acid also known as vitamin C is an essential nutrient in many multicellular

organisms, especially in humans (Schlueter and Johnston, 2011). Ascorbic acid is an organic
compound of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (Castro et al., 2017). Pure ascorbic acid is a white
solid and is made synthetically from the sugar dextrose (Hansen et al., 2018). Ascorbic acid
or vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin and it can found in variable quantities in fruits and
vegetables (Devaki and Raveendran, 2017). Among chemists, it is used as a nanomaterials,
enzymatic reagent and reagent for the preparation of fine chemicals (Van Gorkom et al.,
2018). The quantification of ascorbic acid compound in food, products and nutraceuticals is
receiving overwhelming importance among medical practitioners, researchers and also within
the pharmaceutical and food industry (Baillie et al., 2018).

Vitamin C is widely available in many natural sources, like fresh fruits and vegetables
(Pullar et al., 2018). The richest sources of ascorbic acid including citrus fruits such as limes,
oranges and lemons, tomatoes, papaya, potatoes, green and red peppers, kiwifruit,
strawberries and cantaloupes, green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, mustard green, and
cauliflower are also rich sources of vitamin C (Moser and Chun, 2016). Vitamin C a
component of food, need by all animals especially humans to prevent scurvy, a disease of the
gums, bones and blood vessels and to extend the body’s resistance to infection (Figueroa-
Méndez and Rivas-Arancibia, 2015).

The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of vitamin C is 100-200 mg and this will be
easily attained through the diet if appropriate fruits and vegetables are consumed (Pacier and
M. Martirosyan, 2015). The high doses of vitamin C (up to 2.000 mg in a day), are used to
support the immune system (for athletes) or reduce the duration of the cold (Chambial et al.,
2013). Average daily recommended amounts of vitamin C for different ages (Carr, 2017).
The new average daily intake level that’s sufficient to fullfill the nutritional requirement of
ascorbic acid or recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for adults (>19 yr) are 90 mg/day
for men and 75 mg/day for women (Padayatty et al., 2003). The daily intake of 100 mg/day
of vitamin C is found to be sufficient to saturate the body pools (leukocytes, neutrophils and
other tissues) in healthy individuals (Vitamin C In Health And Disease., 2018). Based on
epidemiological and clinical studies it has been suggested that a dietary intake of 100 mg/day
of ascorbic acid or vitamin C is related to reduced incidence of mortality from stroke, heart
diseases and most type of cancer (Naidu, 2003). Vitamin C can limit the formation of
carcinogens, such as nitrosamines, modulate immune response and, through its antioxidant
function, possibly attenuate oxidative damage that may result in cancer (Nauman et al.,
2018).

Most case control studies have found an inverse association between dietary vitamin
C intake and cancers of the oral cavity, lung, breast, stomach, colon or rectum, larynx or
pharynx, and esophagus (Blaszczak et al., 2019). Plasma concentrations of vitamin C are
lower in people with cancer than controls (Foster et al., 2018).

Evidence from many epidemiological studies suggests that high intakes of vegetables
and fruits are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (Moser and Chun,
2016). This association might be partly attributable to the antioxidant content of these foods
because oxidative damage (Sanford et al., 2017). Including oxidative modification of low
density lipoproteins, that a major cause of cardiovascular disease (Tyml, 2017). Results from
prospective studies associations between vitamin C intake and cardiovascular disease risk are
conflicting(Pacier and M. Martirosyan, 2015).

Vitamin C has low toxicity and it’s not believed to cause serious effects at high
intakes. The widely common complaints because of high intakes of vitamin C are abdominal
cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and other gastrointestinal disturbances due to the osmotic effect of
unabsorbed vitamin C in the gastrointestinal tract (Pacier and M. Martirosyan, 2015).

 
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