Abstract
THERE has lately been some discussion about the state in which ascorbic acid is present in natural food materials. Ahmad1, and McHenry and Graham2 observed that several fresh food-stuffs like cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, etc., give a higher ascorbic acid value on being cooked or boiled with water, as estimated by titration with the indophenol reagent. They conclude that at least part of the vitamin is present in the fresh food-stuffs in the combined state, from which the free vitamin is released on boiling with water. Van Eekelen3, on the other hand, working with the potato, considers that the increase in the vitamin content on boiling is only apparent and not real, being due to the inactivation of ascorbic acid oxidase,, which is normally present in these foodstuffs, by heat. We have carried out the following experiments in this connexion, which, we believe, demonstrate almost conclusively that the increase of the vitamin C value of certain food-stuffs on boiling cannot be accounted for on the oxidase theory, and that part of the vitamin in the natural food-stuffs is present in the combined state. All the estimations were carried out titrimetrically.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Ahmad, NATURE, 136, 797 (1935).
McHenry and Graham, NATURE, 135, 871 (1935).
Van Eekelen, NATURE, 136, 144 (1935).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
GUHA, B., PAL, J. Combined Ascorbic Acid in Food-stuffs. Nature 137, 946 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/137946a0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/137946a0
This article is cited by
-
The rôle of ascorbic acid in plant nutrition
The Botanical Review (1943)
-
Urinary Excretion of Combined Ascorbic Acid in Pulmonary Tuberculosis
Nature (1940)
-
Gebundene Ascorbinsäure
Klinische Wochenschrift (1940)
-
Ascorbigen in Plant and Animal Tissues
Nature (1938)
-
Combined Ascorbic Acid in Plant Tissues
Nature (1937)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.