Thursday, October 20, 2011

Vitamin C as a food additive

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. It is also a cofactor in at least eight enzymatic reactions including several collagen synthesis reactions that cause the most severe symptoms of scurvy when they are dysfunctional. Vitamin C is purely the L-enantiomer of ascorbate; the opposite D-enantiomer has no physiological significance.
The vast majority of animals and plants are able to synthesize their own vitamin C, through a sequence of four enzyme-driven steps, which convert glucose to vitamin C. Among the animals that have lost the ability to synthesise vitamin C are simians and tarsiers, which together make up one of two major primate suborders, the anthropoidea, also called haplorrhini. Vitamin C is one of the safest and most effective nutrients, experts say.
But the benefits of vitamin C may include protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development. Unlike most mammals and other animals, humans do not have the ability to make their own vitamin C. Therefore, we must obtain vitamin C through our diet.
However, test on all segments of human population is not possible before providing food safety certificates and categorizing a safe food additives. So, what is the solution then, for avoiding the harmful effects of food additives? There are two ways for this- one, to know what all are the safe additives and what food additives are extremely risky.

Others: Vitamin E      Vitamin B6

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