SCGS 6324 & SQC

7015
Food Analysis
Master of Science (Analytical Chemistry)

Dr. Muggundha Raoov, Department of Chemistry

VITAMINS
Vitamins are organic compounds required
in the diet in small amount to perform
specific biological functions for normal
maintenance of the organism.
[Reproduction in human being]
 Required small amount since their
degradation is relatively slow.
 Naturally occur in food.
 Deficiency occurs when the vitamin is
missing from diet.
 Hopkins coined the term “Accessary
Factors” to the unknown and essential
nutrients present in the natural foods.
 In 1912 Hopkins & Funk isolated an active
principle (an amine) from rice polishings
& later in yeast, which could be Beri-Beri
in pigeons he coined the term Vitamin.
 (Vita- Life) he believe that all of term are
amines. But later he realized that only few
of them are amines. The term vitamin
however is continued without the final
latter ‘e’.
Lack of thiamin (B1) caused Beri-Beri
.
 Choline
 Lipoic Acid

 Inosital

 PABA (Para Amino BenzoicAcid)

[To remember- ‘CLIP’]

Most of Vitamins are not biosynthesized by the body & hence
for its functional use we have to depend on the diet intake.
Few vitamins which are synthesized & supplement for the use
are: Vitamin D from cholesterol
Vitamin B3 Niacin – from tryptophan (α-amino acid)

Vitamin K, Are synthesized by

Vitamin B7, normal bacterial flora of gut &
Vitamin B12 intestine, acting on

Food supplement absorbed

use for body function

 Vitamins are widely distributed in nature.
 Foods of plant and animal origin contains rich amount
of various vitamins.
 Usually fat soluble vitamins are associated with fats &
predominantly obtained by fatty diet of plant &
animal origin – fish oils, liver, meat, wheat germ oil
etc.
 Water soluble vitamins are predominantly presents in
fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals, grains, yeast etc.
 Thus a mixed type of diet. will provide sufficiently for
all type of vitamins to the body, whose function will
maintain normal health, growth and reproduction.
 It is a condition, due to excessive accumulation of
vitamins in body tissues like liver, spleen, brain and
bones.
 The manifestation of hyper vitaminosis are due to its
toxic effects on the functional activity of tissues.

Fat soluble vitamins:

 Over consumption of these vitamins may increase the
storage capacity and affects the normal functions of the
tissues.
 Excessive intake of water soluble vitamins. Does not lead
to hyper vitaminosis, since they are not stored in the
body and any excess intake then daily excreted through
urine.
• Avitaminosis is a condition produced due to
deficiency of vitamins in the body.
• Absence of vitamins affects the body and make it
suffer from the manifestations.
• Causes for Avitaminosis (Vitamin deficiency)
• Body can suffer form Avitaminosis due to different
reasons:
i) Inadequate dietary intake of vitamins.
ii)Inadequate absorption from GIT lumen due to GIT
disorders.
iii)Inadequate utilization of vitamins.
iv)Drug induced deficiency.
Provitamins are precursors of active form of vitamins,
they are present in food substances, when ingested in
the body, by the help of enzymatic action they are
immediately converted to vitamin.
As such provitamins have no function similar vitamin
form.
Examples: Corrotenes (yellow pigments) present in
fruits & vegetables are provitamins of vitamin A
 These are chemical compounds which inhibit or
oppose the vitamin activity and produce vitamin
deficiency.
 They are also termed as Antagonist and their action
as Antagonism.
 Mostly related to Vitamin B complex members and
Vit. K.
 Vitamins B-complex members form coenzymes and
mediate enzyme reactions.
 Antivitamin are generally structural analogs of
these vitamins hence they participate in enzymatic
reactions and competitively in habit the reactions as
they are not specific in action.
I – Dicumarol Warfarin. Vitamin K.
II – Avidin. Biotin.
III.– Oxythiamine . Thiamine.
IV.– Favin Monosulphate. Riboflavin.
V.– Methotrexate. Folate.
All vitamins are potent growth factors which maintains
normal health growth and reproduction.
I. – Vitamin A :- Role in vision growth & differentiation of
epithial cells.
II.– Vitamin D :- Role in mineral (calcium) metabolism bone
mineralization.
III.– Vitamin E :- Antioxidant activity – protects tissues.
IV – Vitamin K : Role in blood clotting mechanism
V.– Vitamin C :- Reducing agent.
VI.– Vitamin B complex :- They form co-enzymes [organic
factor] which mediate [help] certain enzyme reactions of
metabolism.
 Vitamins.
Definition - Organic compound required in small amounts.

A few words about each.

Vitamin A

Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12

Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Vitamin A - Retinol

Retinol (vitamin A)

Sources in diet - Many plants (photoreceptors), also meat, especially liver.

Fat soluble, so you can get too much, or too little if absorption is a
problem.

Some uses:

Vision (11-cis-retinol bound to rhodopsin detects light in our eyes).

Regulating gene transcription (retinoic acid receptors on cell nuclei are part
of a system for regulating transcription of mRNAs for a number of genes).
Vitamin B1 - Thiamine

Thiamine

Some uses:

Cofactor for several enzymes (a precursor for thiamine pyrophosphate, one

of the cofactors used by the pyruvate decarboxylase complex (PDC).

Also, a cofactor for branched chain a-keto dehydrogenase.

Found in a wide variety of foods, including meat, grains. Deficiency causes

beriberi (muscle atrophy, neurological problems).
Vitamin B2 - riboflavin
Riboflavin is a precursor
for FAD and FMN.

FAD -
flavin adenine dinucleotide. FMN - Flavin
mononucleotide

FAD is a cofactor for pyruvate FMN is an electron carrier in

dehydrogenase complex (PDC), and the electron transport chain.
succinate dehydrogenase in TCA cycle.
Vitamin B3 - nicotinic acid
(a precursor for Nicotinamide
adenine dinucleotide, NAD).
Also known as niacin.

nicotinic acid

NAD+ is needed for glycolysis, NADH gets oxidized in electron transport

chain, etc.
Vitamin B5 - pantothenic acid (needed for making CoA)

pantothenic acid

Coenzyme A

We get pantothenic acid in our diet as CoA, which must be broken down
to pantothenic acid to be absorbed in intestine. We then use the
pantothenic acid in making our own CoA.
Vitamin B6 - pyridoxine

Precursor for pyridoxal phosphate

(PLP).

PLP is a covalently linked cofactor to PLP

transaminases, and some
decarboxylases, and glycogen
phosphorylase; these are called “PLP-
dependent enzymes”.
Vitamin B7 - Biotin.

Used in fatty acid synthesis,

also other functions.

Biotin deficiency is rare.

Vitamin B9 - Folic acid.
Required for synthesis of glycine,
methionine, nucleotides T & U.
folic acid

Important for rapidly dividing cells

(very important in early pregnancy).

N5,N10 methylene-tetrahydrofolate is a
donor of methylene groups.

Deficiency in pregnancy causes neural tube defects.

Folic acid is now added to many grain products in the US.
Vitamin B12 - cobalamin. adenosyl-
cobalamin
(also hydroxycobalamin, adenosylcobalamin).

We saw cobalamine in fatty acid

oxidation.

Cobalamin is needed in making

adenosylcobalamin, a cofactor for
“methyl malonyl mutase”, which
breaks down odd-chain fatty acids.

B12 is also used in regenerating

folate

Sources are meat, milk and eggs.

Vegetarians who eat dairy

products are OK, but non-dairy
vegans may not get enough.
Vitamin C - asorbic acid

Required for collagen synthesis, and

as a cofactor for several enzymes.
Also scavenges oxygen radicals.

In almost all organisms, ascorbic acid is synthesized from glucose in 4

steps.

A relatively recent (40 million years ago) mutation in the ancestor of

humans made us unable to make ascorbic acid. So for us, and some
closely related primates, it’s a vitamin.

Guinea pigs can’t make ascorbic acid, either.

Sources of vitamin C are fruit and fresh meat. Vitamin C deficiency

causes scurvy, and in human history vitamin C deficiency may have
been an impediment to spreading northward.
Vitamin D refers to a group of similar lipid-soluble molecules (major
forms are D2 and D3, also D1, D4, D5).

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol)

Vitamin D3 can be obtained in diet, or derived from cholesterol in a
reaction that requires UV light.

UV light

spontaneous

liver enzyme
25-hydroxylase calcitriol

Vitamin D3
Vitamin D binds to a “vitamin D binding protein” (VDP) for transport to target
organs.

Vitamin D is not active itself (it’s a prohormone); it is modified to yield

biologically active forms, such as calcitriol.

Calcitriol (derived from vitamin D) is a transcription factor, influencing

expression of proteins involved in calcium absorption and transport.

Vitamin D is also important for immune system function.

Deficiency causes rickets, bone loss.

Calcitriol, from
vitamin D.
Vitamin D production requires UV light (sunlight).

Sometime after humans migrated north out of Africa about 50,000 years
ago, mutations appeared that reduced melanin (pigment) production in
the skin, permitting vitamin D production with less sunlight.

Disadvantages of less melanin production are skin that is easily

damaged by the sun, skin cancer risk, and loss of folic acid due to UV
damage.

The melanin-reducing mutations helped early humans make vitamin D

in northern europe in winter.
Human migration. These groups have
mutations resulting in the
most dramatic melanin
deficiency.

Thousands of
years ago.

Map from wikipedia.

In Texas, there is too much sun and plenty of vitamin D, so I
want my melanin back !
Vitamin E - Collectively refers to 8 related tocopherols.

It is essential, but roles are unclear.

Suggestions include neural membrane
component, antioxidant.

Obtained in diet, deficiency is rare.

Vitamin K - Refers to phylloquinonone (vitamin K-1), and several
structurally similar molecules.

phylloquinone

Vitamin K is required for proper blood clotting.

It is used in synthesizing gamma carboxy glutamate, a

post-translationally modified amino acid in prothrombin.

Sources are vegetables and fruits, deficiency is rare.