Properties of Vitamin C and Uses - Essay Example

Page Introduction Vitamin c, chemically is Ascorbic acid, It naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables, it is a vital substance ,and is water salable, Human body can not synthesize Vitamin c, nor can it store it , therefore the body requirements needs to be full filled from diet, through absorption from the gut. Historically, the deficiency of dietary in take can lead to a disease called Scurvy.. In 1 8th century the sailors and solders who used to be ,on ship for long time and there food was deficient in fruits and vegetables would develop scurvy, main symptoms of scurvy are , bleeding gums, bone and Joint pain nerve disorders and death.. , East India company appointed surgeon general MR Jhon woodall, who recommends in his book the use of lemon juice for the prevention and cure of Scurvy. In the year 1912 MR Casimir Funk a polish American, developed the concept of vitamins, he thought that they are micro constituent of diet and are essential for health, he named them vitamins because he thought they are vital and chemically are amino acids., from 1928 till 1933 MR Joseph L Svivly and MR Albert Szent Gyeryl of Hungary and An independent American MR Charls Glin King first isolated the anti Scorbutic factor and named it Ascorbic acid . British chemists Sir Walter Norman Haworth in 1933 till1934 synthesized vitamin C and hence made it cheaply available, for this contribution he was awarded the Noble prize of medicine in 1937. In human body Vitamin C has three main functions, namely, 1 as a coenzyme in hydroxylation of Lysin and prolien for the synthesis of collegian Page 2 fiber in the connective, tissue, hence Vitamin C is essential in the healthy development of scar tissue, and the maintenance of scar tissue, Blood vessels and cartilages. tissue.. 2 As a coenzyme in the formation of Noradrenalin, from dopamine, Nor epinephrine is a neuro transmitter. and is a physiological nerve transmitter at the Neuron synapses. 3 As a non enzyme function of antioxidant, High concentrations of Vitamin C are found in Pituitary gland, adrenal thymus, retina, spleen testes , liver kidnies slivery glands etc. Daily requirement of vitamin C in Adult male is 90 mg and in adult female is 75 mg, In pregnancy, sickness and lactation the daily requirement increases .Many folds Properties of Vitamin C, and Uses vitamin C is needed as a dietary supplement , for humans and pets, like humans some animals can not synthesize the substance hence they need it on daily basis, Vitamin C is also used in Industry as food preservative , in fruit juices beverages, that is because of its antioxidant properties, it is used to preserve color , taste in many food products. Vitamin c removes the oxygen from the surroundings to become oxidized, by this action it acts as an antioxidant, oxidation is responsible for the brown color that develops in fruits ,once exposed to oxygen., by oxidation the phenols in the fruits are converted to Melanins,, Melanins are brown in color. Those fruits which turn brown on cutting , like apple bananas, have a phenols, these Page 3 Phenols, in presence of oxygen and metal can turn quickly into Quinns., which are harmful.. Vitamin C is added to fruit juices to improve taste , preserve nutritional value and to preserve the color In meat industry Vitamin C is used for its antioxidant properties, Vitamin C 1 accelerate color development, prevents Color fading , inhibits nitrosamine formation, and 2 prevents oxidation.." Vitamin c is more stable in amber colored containers ,and glass containers than in white ,and brown containers." ( Ahmed AA p 3 ). 3 "Vitamin C can improve the bread dough, where it improves the dough texture and loaf volume. " (Hosney R Read More