VITAMIN C HUNGARIAN GROUP I : Alt Csilla Kaizer Noémi Kerekes Melinda Szilágyi Botond Babes-Bolyai University Cluj Napoca Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

About the Discoverer Albert Szent-Györgyi was born in Budapest on September 16, In 1932 he noted the anti-scorbutic activity of ascorbic acid and discovered that paprika (capsicum annuum) was a rich source of vitamin C. Szent-Györgyi won the Nobel Prize of Physiology or Medicine in 1937 for discovering the biological functions of vitamin C. Albert Szent-Györgyi died on October 22, 1986.

Structure & Chemistry Vitamin C is purely the L-enantiomer of ascorbate; the opposite D- enantiomer has no physiological significance. L-Ascorbate is a weak sugar acid structurally related to glucose that naturally occurs attached either to a hydrogen ion, forming ascorbic acid, or to a metal ion, forming a mineral ascorbate. Oxidized form Reduced form

Biological & Physiological Functions Ascorbic acid performs numerous physiological functions in the human body: the synthesis of collagen, carnitine, and neurotransmitters the synthesis and catabolism of tyrosine the metabolism of microsome. Ascorbic acid is well known for its antioxidant activity, acting as a reducing agent to reverse oxidation in liquids. Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine. It both prevents histamine release and increases the detoxification of histamine.

Natural sources of vitamin C

Recommendations Vitamin C should be consumed every day because it is not fat-soluble and, therefore, cannot be stored for later use. Vitamin C chemically decomposes under certain conditions, many of which may occur during the cooking of food. The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine recommends the following amounts of vitamin C for adults: -Men age 19 and older: 90 mg/day -Women age 19 year and older: 75 mg/day

Industrial production methods  Reichstein process, developed in the 1930s, uses a single pre-fermentation followed by a purely chemical route.  The modern two-step fermentation process, originally in China in the 1960s, uses additional fermentation to replace part of the later chemical stages.  Both processes yield approximately 60% vitamin C from the glucose feed.  - World production of synthesized vitamin C is currently estimated at approximately 110,000 tones annually

Side Effects Vitamin C toxicity is very rare, because the body cannot store the vitamin. However, amounts greater than 2,000 mg/day are not recommended because such high doses can lead to stomach upset and diarrhea. Too little vitamin C can lead to signs and symptoms of deficiency, including: Dry and splitting hair Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) Bleeding gums Rough, dry, scaly skin Easy bruising Swollen and painful joints Anemia Decreased ability to fight infection Possible weight gain because of slowed metabolism A severe form of vitamin C deficiency is known as scurvy, which mainly affects older, malnourished adults.

References: zent-gyorgyi-bio.html zent-gyorgyi-bio.html Michael B. Davies, John Austin, David A. Partridge: Vitamin C – Its Chemistry and Biochemistry

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