Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient required to allow a range of essential metabolic reactions in animals and plants, and widely known as the vitamin that prevents scurvy in humans. The pharmacophore of vitamin C is the ascorbate ion. In living organisms, ascorbate is an antioxidant, as it protects the body against oxidative stress, and a cofactor in several vital enzymatic reactions. As a nutrient, its uses and requirements are matters of on-going debate. The North American Dietary Reference Intake recommends 90 milligrams per day and no more than 2 grams per day (2000 milligrams per day). As a food additive, vitamin C is used as an antioxidant preservative and an acidity regulator. Several E numbers account for the vitamin, depending on its chemical structure: E300 as ascorbic acid, E301 as sodium ascorbate, E302 as calcium ascorbate, and E303 as potassium ascorbate.
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