Influence of dietary intakes of erythorbic acid on plasma vitamin C analyses.
D-Erythorbic acid is an epimer of L-ascorbic acid, but lacks antiscorbutic activity. It is commonly used as a food additive, particularly in processed meat items. Except for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methodology, the commonly used analytical procedures to measure vitamin C do not distinguish between the two isomers. A study with seven adult women demonstrated that the concentration of erythorbic acid present in food items commonly consumed was sufficient to produce interference in plasma vitamin C analyses. With the meals used, 7-23% of the apparent vitamin C in plasma obtained 2 h after the ingestion of the meals was actually erythorbic acid when analyzed by HPLC. To avoid falsely high plasma-serum vitamin C values as a result of erythorbic acid ingestion, the analyses should be conducted on overnight fasting blood specimens or with the use of an HPLC-amperometric method.
Sauberlich
H E
HE
Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
Wood
S M
SM
Tamura
T
T
Freeberg
L E
LE
D000328:Adult; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004032:Diet; D004435:Eating; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013237:Stereoisomerism
C005056:isoascorbic acid; D001205:Ascorbic Acid