Ingredient Profile—Ascorbic Acid

L-Ascorbic acid (AscA), more commonly referred to as vitamin C, is best known for its vital role in human health and nutrition, where it functions as a cofactor in enzymatic reactions, such as collagen synthesis, and as an antioxidant. This compound earned its notoriety in the mid-1930s, when Nobel laureate Albert Szent-Györgyi established the link between AscA and the prevention of scurvy, a debilitating disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. As the importance of antioxidants in health and nutrition has become more widely publicized, the addition of AscA and its derivatives to products ranging from food and beverages to nutritional supplements and cosmetics has become increasingly common.

See the archived article in our September 2011 digital edition.