Natural and synthetic sources of vitamin C

Abstract

Two groups of young male guinea-pigs on a vitamin C-fuee diet were given equivalent amounts of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C ) from natural sources (blackcurrant juice concentrate (group C ) and dried acerola cherry juice (group B)). A third group ( A ) received an equal amount of synthetic ascorbic acid in water.The overall growth rate was greatest in group C and the ascorbic acid concentrations in the spleen and adrenal glands were significantly greater in group C than in group A ; group B (the dried acerola cherry juice group) gave interniediate values.

Anthocyanins - nature, occurrence and dietary burden

“…Kühnau65 also refers to a study (Sturua et al 1971), published in Russian with an English abstract in Chem Abs (1971, 76 , 21575), which apparently demonstrated that Guinea pigs acquired greater concentrations of Vitamin C in the liver and adrenals after being fed grape anthocyanins. Hughes and Jones79 obtained similar results when they fed to Guinea pigs equal amounts of pure Vitamin C in water, Vitamin C in Acerola cherry juice (reconstituted from powder, virtually flavonoid‐free) and Vitamin C in blackcurrant juice. Although data for food consumption are not given, they reported that Guinea pigs grew faster on the flavonoid‐containing blackcurrant juice.…”

Vitamins E plus C and interacting conutrients required for optimal health

“…By their solubility characteristic bioflavonoids can be enriched only at the interface of aqueous vitamin C compartments and the lipid phase where vitamin E is oriented towards the interface and the apolar β-carotene is concentrated in the lipid core. Flavonoids spare vitamin C at least in animals [203][204][205], and in several prospective studies in the human their intake was inversely correlated to subsequent risk of coronary mortality [45,57,58,60], albeit perhaps only in cohorts with low intake of vitamin C such as in Finland [58,59]. Bioflavonoids and related simple phenol derivatives certainly deserve further scrutiny.…”

The influence of an extract of orange peel on the growth and ascorbic acid metabolism of young guinea‐pigs

“…9 Recent studies have revealed that a more rapid accumulation of leucocyte AA and a greater urinary excretion of AA are produced by the ingestion of whole orange juice than by an equivalent amount of synthetic AA. 1° The experiments described in this paper were part of an investigation designed further to characterise the relationship between AA metabolism and the flavonoids present in the orange.…”