Organic Molecules: Ascorbic Acid

In the ancient era from 3300 BC to 100 AD, many things such as municipalities and constant cultivation were built. In Sumaria (contemporary Iraq), people feel that food not only makes people cheerful, but also has a great impact on health. This is an introduction concept affecting the discovery of vitamins. However, this concept was known to early medical professionals and has since been called Shaman (Jacks, 2007).

Vitamins are organic molecules (or groups of related molecules) that are essential micronutrients that require small amounts of organisms to function properly. Essential nutrients can not be synthesized in the body, whether or not it is sufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to ingest through a meal. Vitamin C is synthesized by specific species, but not by other species; it is not the first vitamin, but the second one. The term vitamin does not include the other three essential nutrients, minerals, essential fatty acids, essential amino acids. Most vitamins are not a single molecule but a group of related molecules called vitamins. For example, vitamin E consists of 4 tocopherols and 4 tocotrienols.

The main physiologically active form of vitamin C is ascorbic acid. In this experiment, the presence of the antioxidant acid is represented by the redox dye DCPIP (2,6-dichloroindophenol). DCPIP reacts with ascorbic acid at a 1: 1 ratio. Ascorbic acid as a reducing agent lowers DCPIP and ascorbic acid itself is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid. Traditionally, vegetables are cooked to soften food to destroy bacteria and make digestion easier. However, the stability of vitamin C is affected by exposure to air and light, the presence of metal, heat and alkalinity. Marzena et al. (2007) reported reduction of vitamin C content by boiling (potato content 3.68 mg / 100 g, carrot content 38 mg / 100 g)