Shayne Angelique B.

Congson
BSMLS-2B

Experiment on Vitamins
Laboratory Report in Biochemistry

Group 1 & 2 - Solubility of Vitamins

Vitamins are organic substances found in trace amounts in natural foods that are
required for optimal cell function, growth, and development. They are necessary
nutrients that allow our bodies to operate correctly and reduce the chance of acquiring
certain health problems. Vitamins are classified into two types: water-soluble vitamins
and fat-soluble vitamins. The majority of vitamins are obtained through diet. The primary
distinction between water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins is how they are
absorbed and used by our bodies. Water-soluble vitamins are those that dissolve in
water and are absorbed into the body's tissues. Vitamins C and B are included (B1, B2,
B6, B3, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin, lipoic acid). Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other
hand, are absorbed with lipids and stored in the body. These are vitamins A, D, E, and
K.
The solubility of vitamins is determined by the solvent in which they are
dissolved. Some vitamins are claimed to be water soluble, whereas others are fat
soluble. As we all know, the notion of solubility centers around two key statements:
organic solutes dissolve in organic solvents, inorganic solutes dissolve in inorganic
solvents, non-polar solutes dissolve in non-polar solvents, and polar solutes dissolve in
polar solvents. These assertions are critical for gaining a better knowledge of vitamin
solubility. To put it simply, it dissolves the complementary substance. Excess water-
soluble vitamins are excreted in the urine, but excess fat-soluble vitamins are stored in
body fat and can be toxic in large quantities. Any vitamin shortage causes certain
symptoms. We utilize water and dichloromethane (methylene chloride) as a reagent in
the experiment to test if the vitamins are water-soluble or fat-soluble. Vitamins B3, C,
and Folic acid dissolved entirely in water with no residue left in the sample, indicating
that the vitamins are water soluble. Since of the residue and layers in the sample,
Vitamin D3 and Vitamin E are entirely insoluble in water because they were completely
dissolved in an organic solvent dichloromethane, indicating that Vitamin D3 and Vitamin
E are fat-soluble vitamins.

Group 3 & 4 – Standardization of Vitamins

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin. It has a somewhat acidic

flavor and appears as a white or slightly yellow crystal or powder. It is, in fact, an
antiscorbutic supplement. It gradually darkens when it is exposed to light. When dry, it is
somewhat stable in air, but it quickly oxidizes in solution. Ascorbic acid dissolves water,
alcohol, chloroform, ether, and benzene, but not chloroform, ether, or benzene. The
reduction-oxidation or redox process between iodine and ascorbic acid is crucial in
determining the Vitamin C content in fruit juices. Iodine is reduced or acquires electrons
through this chemical reaction. Ascorbic acid, on the other hand, loses electrons or is
oxidized. This leads in the creation of dehydroascorbic acid, hydrogen ions, and iodide
ions. Iodine is also regarded as an oxidizing agent, whereas ascorbic acid is regarded
as a reducing agent. The major rationale for include starch in the reaction mixture is that
it acts as a signal of the titration process's endpoint. When all of the ascorbic acid
molecules have been oxidized, the extra iodine tends to react with the starch molecules.
This, in turn, results in the formation of a bluish-black starch-iodine complex, signaling
the completion of the process. Vitamin C is a necessary nutrient that humans must
receive from food or supplements in order to satisfy our needs. According to the
National Institutes of Health, adults should consume 75 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C per
day for women and 90 mg for men; smokers should consume an additional 35 mg per
day, and pregnant and nursing women should consume 85 and 120 mg, respectively.
Supplementing with vitamin C may also help with the healing of more common
problems. Vitamin C is advantageous to the heart in a variety of ways.

Group 5 – Analysis in Fruits

Vitamins are chemical substances that are needed for a variety of biological
processes. In general, vitamins are not created in the human body, but their absence or
deficiency may result in certain disorders. The relative amount of ascorbic acid
contained in fruit juices (apple, orange, cranberry, and grape) was measured in this
observational research utilizing a redox titration analysis employing an iodometric
approach. Titrations were performed three times for each therapy, and the identification
of the titration endpoints were found using starch as a visual signal. According to our
findings, apple juice (4.8 mg / 10 mL) provided the most vitamin C, followed by orange
juice (4.0 mg / 10 mL), grape juice (2.2 mg / 10 mL), and cranberry juice (2.0 21mg / 10
mL). Many fruits and commercial drinks contain ascorbic acid. The quantity of ascorbic
acid in various fruit juices was determined using the iodometric titration technique.
Determining the precise quantity of ascorbic acid contained in fruit juices necessitates
the use of adequate scientific equipment while controlling for physical conditions such
as temperature and light.

Determining the precise quantity of ascorbic acid contained in fruit juices

necessitates the use of adequate scientific equipment while controlling for physical
conditions such as temperature and light. Other aspects, such as human and
environmental influences, must also be considered. Using iodometric titration, it was
discovered that a higher concentration of ascorbic acid necessitates a larger
concentration of iodine in order to detect the precise quantity of Vitamin C in a given
sample. Furthermore, in terms of applications, determining the quantity of ascorbic acid
in fruit juices has been critical in the fields of biochemistry and the food business.
Group 6 – Heat Destruction

The redox titration technique was then used to determine vitamin C levels. The
sample solution for titration was made by combining 25 mL of vegetable extract with 5
mL of starch solution (indicator) and potassium iodide (KI). After then, the solution was
titrated with 0.009M potassium iodate (titrant) until a blue-black color shift was seen.
The vitamin C was oxidized when the iodine was added, and the excess iodine
interacted with the indicator to produce a blue-black hue in the liquid. The shift in color
from blue to black in the sample denotes our end point, and the titre quantity (in mL) is
subsequently recorded at this point. The results revealed that all the vegetables contain
vitamin C, however, the pepper sample gave the highest value of 61.56mg/100ml
implying it is a good source of vitamin C while the carrot sample gave the least vitamin
C amount of 6.43mg/100ml. The vitamin C content of the raw vegetables is generally
high when compared with those of the heated. Pepper had the greatest amount of
vitamin C (61.56mg/100ml) and the highest percentage loss of vitamin C in its sample of
all the veggies (64.17 percent loss of vitamin C in 30 mins heating). This implies that
denaturation of vitamin C due to heating is dependent on its availability in the vegetable,
with a larger percentage loss when denatured by heating for a vegetable with a higher
vitamin C content available. The purpose of this experiment was to see how heating
affected the vitamin C content of the selected veggies. Temperature variations had a
substantial influence on the vitamin C concentrations of the various vegetable samples.
It has been found that heating time has a substantial influence on the vitamin C content
of all vegetables; as heating time increases, so does the percentage loss of vitamin C.
The longer the samples (pepper, green peas, spinach, pumpkin, and carrot) were
cooked at high temperatures, the less vitamin C was detected.