How Is Ascorbic Acid Used In Food?

Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is a natural component of most fruits and many vegetables. An essential nutrient your body requires daily, ascorbic acid can help to both maintain and promote health. Specifically, the body uses vitamin C to form proteins for tissue production, heal wounds and repair bones, teeth and cartilage. It also acts as an antioxidant, which prevents damage from free radicals, a result of normal metabolism. In addition to naturally occurring in produce, manufacturers also add it to foods for various reasons.

Fruit Drinks

Fruit drinks that contain real fruit may naturally contain vitamin C, but pasteurization and processing often diminishes the natural nutrients in fruit, including ascorbic acid. Producers may add ascorbic acid to these drinks, though, even if they don't contain real fruit, to preserve taste and color while boosting their nutritional value. The acid also acts as an antioxidant and antimicrobial, preventing pathogens from proliferating in the drink during packaging and storage.

Cereals

Ascorbic acid serves the same function as a preservative in cereals as it does in fruit drinks -- preserving flavor and color while boosting nutrition and preventing bacterial growth. However, most cereals contain other preservatives for these purposes, making added added vitamin C a nutrient enrichment, for the most part. Food manufacturers may also include isoascorbate or erthyrobate in these foods, which are D isomers of ascorbic acid, to preserve the vitamin activity of ascorbic acid, as this is its primary purpose in the food.

Cured Meats

Many cured meats contain added ascorbic acid to preserve the red color by converting nitrite into nitric oxide and dehydroascorbic acid. This effect also prevents nitrosamines like sodium nitrite, which is carcinogenic. Of course, the vitamin C added to cured meats also prevents microbial proliferation, such as bacteria and viruses, while reducing oxygen content, which slows deterioration over time.

Considerations

Ascorbic acid has several benefits in addition to preserving food. According to MedlinePlus, its antioxidant activity may cause ascorbic acid to help prevent conditions like cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Moreover, although vitamin C cannot prevent or cure the common cold, it may reduce its severity and duration. Vitamin C used as an additive can also help to prevent a deficiency, which can cause complications like bleeding gums, frequent bleeding or bruising, weakened tooth enamel, painful or inflamed joints, gingivitis and anemia.