Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) has been known as an antioxidant for most people. However, its physiological role is much larger and encompasses very different processes ranging from facilitation of iron absorption through involvement in hormones and carnitine synthesis for important roles in epigenetic processes. Contrarily, high doses act as a pro-oxidant than an anti-oxidant. This may also be the reason why plasma levels are meticulously regulated on the level of absorption and excretion in the kidney. Interestingly, most cells contain vitamin C in millimolar concentrations, which is much higher than its plasma concentrations, and compared to other vitamins. The role of vitamin C is well demonstrated by miscellaneous symptoms of its absence—scurvy. The only clinically well-documented indication for vitamin C is scurvy. The effects of vitamin C administration on cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and infections are rather minor or even debatable in the general population. Vitamin C is relatively safe, but caution should be given to the administration of high doses, which can cause overt side effects in some susceptible patients (e.g., oxalate renal stones). Lastly, analytical methods for its determination with advantages and pitfalls are also discussed in this review.

Vitamin C—Sources, Physiological Role, Kinetics, Deficiency, Use, Toxicity, and Determination

Plants and animals are sources of various bioactive compounds that exhibit a broad spectrum of health-promoting effects. Scientists continue studies on the chemical composition of many products in search of foods with high nutritional value. The pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.) is unquestionably a source of valuable nutrients. This vegetable is well-known all over the world and it is appreciated due to its high content of carotenoids, but it is still not much used in the processing industry. The aim of present study was to compare the flesh of 15 pumpkin varieties belonging to the Cucurbita pepo and C. moschata species in terms of the bioactive compound content (carotenoids, phenolic acids, flavonols, minerals and vitamins) and to demonstrate whether the variety has an effect on the chemical composition. To date, no such extensive research has been carried out in this area. The research revealed that the pumpkin pulp had high content of carotenoids. In nearly all cases lutein was the most abundant carotenoid. Numerous phenolic acids and flavonols were also identified. All the cultivars contained gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and rutin. The pumpkin pulp also contained alpha- and gamma-tocopherol. No beta- or delta-tocopherol was found. Potassium, calcium, and sodium were the most abundant minerals. The research also proved that the profile of bioactive compounds in the pumpkin pulp was considerably diversified and depended on the species and cultivar

https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/16/2945/pdf

The Profile of Secondary Metabolites and Other Bioactive Compounds in Cucurbita pepo L. and Cucurbita moschata Pumpkin Cultivars.

Chayote (Sechium edule): A review of nutritional composition, bioactivities and potential applications

Background Sweet potato (SP) roots play an old and important role in food culture worldwide, although only in recent years this food has been research focus as a source of bioactive compounds. Scope and approach This review provides an update and discusses available literature concerning bioactive compounds naturally present in SP roots and their potential beneficial effects on human health. Available literature reveals that, in addition to the valuable nutritional composition, SP roots contain a variety of constituents capable of promoting health and preventing lifestyle-related diseases. Functionalities of polyphenols, carotenoids, polysaccharides, dietary fiber and proteins/peptides commonly found in SP roots have been confirmed in in vitro and in vivo investigations, which include: antioxidant, prebiotic, anti-hypertensive and anti-proliferative effects. Several SP varieties can be found, including purple, orange, white and yellow-fleshed SP, which differ in amounts of nutrients and bioactive compounds, and, consequently, in their ability to exert beneficial effects to consumers. Key findings and conclusions SP roots should be considered a healthy food option for use in different domestic meal preparations as well as for use by food industry as a functional ingredient for formulation of added-value food products.

Sweet potato roots: Unrevealing an old food as a source of health promoting bioactive compounds – A review

Oxidation as a reaction in many kinds of foods is a nearly ubiquitous chemical reaction that involves the transfer of electrons from one compound to another, has long been known to have negative effects, especially in physiological contexts. Besides that, antioxidants in food may be defined as any substance which is capable of delaying, retarding or preventing the development of rancidity or other flavour deterioration due to oxidation. Antioxidants may be synthetic or natural. Natural antioxidants (NAO) are generally preferred by consumers. NAO can be found in many sources such as legumes, nuts, oilseeds, cereals, fruits, vegetables, animal products. In this article, sources of antioxidants specifically natural antioxidants are described.

An overview on some of important sources of natural antioxidants.

Thirty-five fruits and seventeen vegetables from Martinique were evaluated for total phenol content (TPC), Vitamin C and carotenoid content. TPC, Vitamin C and carotenoid contents ranged from 11.7 to 978.6 mg/100g, 0.1 to 2853.8 mg/100g and 9.7 to 9269.7 μg/100g respectively. Fruits and vegetables from Martinique have equivalent or higher TPC, Vitamin C and carotenoid contents than fruits and vegetables from temperate climates. Cashew apple had high values for all three parameters (55.8 mg/100g of Vitamin C, 603 mg/100g of TPC and 924 μg/100g of carotenoids). Bassignac mango and mamey apple had the highest carotenoid contents, with 3800.3 and 3199.7 μg/100g respectively. Acerola had the highest Vitamin C and polyphenol contents with 2853.8 μg/100g and 727.4 mg/100g respectively. Pigeon peas had high values for all three parameters (569.2 mg/100g of Vitamin C, 978.6 mg/100g of TPC and 364.3 μg/100g of carotenoids). Pumpkin and watercress had the highest carotenoid content, with 9269.7 and 4339 μg/100g respectively. TPC, Vitamin C and carotenoid content were significantly impacted by processing techniques. TPC, Vitamin C and carotenoid contents decreased by up to 75.78%, 100% and 70.18% respectively, depending on the processing technique used.

https://file.scirp.org/pdf/FNS_2015030915222241.pdf

Polyphenols, Carotenoids, Vitamin C Content in Tropical Fruits and Vegetables and Impact of Processing Methods

In Martinique (F.W.I.), biodiversityof vegetable varieties remain unexploited due to public unawareness or supply problems. To further enhance thesweet potato, physicochemical,sensory and nutritional characteristics of eight varieties of sweet potato wereestablished. The eightsweet potatoes cultivars were noticeably diverse with phenotypic, sensory,physicochemical and nutritional characteristics which were veryvaried. The eight cultivars grown in Martinique were advantageously positionedin relation to the globally identified sweet potato, regarding fibre, starch,potassium, copper, vitamin B1, B3 and B9 contents. Compared to the ordinarypotato, Martiniquan sweet potatoes have a much better nutritional potential.Energy value and vitamin C levels were twice as much as in normal potatoes.Martiniquan sweet potatoes cultivars were also richer in minerals and vitamins,with 2.7 times more vitamin B9 and 63 times more beta-carotene than theordinary potato.

/pdf/comparison-of-physicochemical-organoleptic-and-nutritional-3h87miear8.pdf

Comparison of Physicochemical, Organoleptic and Nutritional Abilities of Eight Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) Varieties

There exist a wide variety of tropical tubercles in Martinique French West Indies (F.W.I.). This study was carried out in order to investigate the development of local varieties of sweet cassava ( Manihot opi ). The purpose of this research was to enhance knowledge of the nutritional and agricultural characteristics of these tubers. The first step in the research project was to carry out a survey and screening of selected varieties, which was undertaken by the local department of agriculture throughout the region of Martinique. Phenotypic characterization and identification were then established. The four varieties were distinguished from each other by phenotypic, organoleptic, physicochemical and nutritional characteristics. Sweet cassavas in Martinique are richer in nutritional compounds and vitamin C than ordinary potatoes. Their sensory specificity, high nutritional value and suitability for industrial processing have also been highlighted. Variety KM07 seemed to offer the best compromise between size, nutritional profile and sensory characteristics and would therefore be recommended for production. Keywords: Martinique, Manihot opi , physicochemical characteristics, nutritional characteristics, sensory profile, sweet cassava, gallic acid equivalent (GAE). African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol 13(50) 4547-4556

/pdf/physicochemical-organoleptic-and-nutritional-characteristics-3pebx0bgws.pdf

Physicochemical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of four sweet cassava (Manihot opi) varieties

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

Corinne Billard

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

Polyphenols, Carotenoids, Vitamin C Content in Tropical Fruits and Vegetables and Impact of Processing Methods

Comparison of Physicochemical, Organoleptic and Nutritional Abilities of Eight Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) Varieties

Physicochemical, organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of four sweet cassava (Manihot opi) varieties