Ascorbic acid is the nomenclature for vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin and integral part of a nutritious daily diet. The body needs vitamin C to repair bodily tissue, heal wounds and maintain teeth as well as produce collagen, skin, tendons, blood vessels, cartilage and ligaments. Moreover, vitamin C is an antioxidant, which means that it can prevent several health complications, such as cancer arthritis and heart disease. Vitamin C appears in several plant foods, including those that are citrus.
What is Citrus?
Citrus is the genus of a type of fruit. It originated in Southeast Asia with fruits such as citrons, or Citrus medica; pummelos, or Citrus maxima; and mandarins, or Citrus reticulata. Common fruits, such as oranges, lemons, limes, kumquats and grapefruits, are hybrids of the original citrus fruits. All citrus fruits originated from the original Asian fruits. Other citrus fruits include clementines, tangelos and uglifruit. Another distinctive characteristic of citrus fruits is that they all contain citric acid, although some other fruits and vegetables contain citric acid as well.
What is Citric Acid
A weak organic acid, citric acid is to what citrus fruits as well as many commercial candies and soft drinks owe their sour or tangy taste. It is not a vitamin; however, citric acid is a fundamental component of metabolism in all higher organisms. In a process called the Kreb's cycle, or the citric acid cycle, the body synthesizes lipids, carbohydrates and proteins into citric acid as a part of oxidation. Alternately, citric acid does not contribute to nutrition, so it is not an essential dietary component. It does ease digestion and render nutrients more bioavailable; and for this reason, it appears in some supplements. Citric acid does not have any direct relationship with ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, but many foods that contain citric acid also contain the nutrient.
Sources of Ascorbic Acid
Vitamin C appears in a myriad of plant foods, including papaya, cantaloupe, grapefruit, strawberries, green peppers, oranges, watermelon, cauliflower, tomatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, mangoes kiwis, leafy greens, red peppers, potatoes, winter squash, cranberries, pineapple, blueberries and raspberries. Indeed, most fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C. Moreover, vitamin C appears in many beverages, from health drinks to soft drinks and to fortified cereals and candy.
Bottom Line
All citrus fruits contain vitamin C. All fruits and vegetables that contain citric acid contain ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, as well. However, ascorbic acid does not derive exclusively from citrus fruits or foods with citric acid. Vitamin C is a widely available nutrient that appears prevalently among fruits, vegetables and fortified or prepared foods. Therefore, it would be correct to bolster your vitamin C intake with citric fruits or foods that contain citric acid, but bear in mind that there are other sources of the vitamin.
References
- The University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
- "Citrus: The Genus Citrus"; Giovanni Dugo and Angelo Di Giacomo; 2002
- "Citric Acid and Biotechnology"; B. Kristiansen, et al.; 1999
- "Biochemistry"; Mary K. Campbell and Shawn O. Farrell; 2009
- Diffen: Lemon vs. Lime
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