Abstract
A NUMBER of previous workers1'2'3 have reported the occurrence of non-specific indo-phenol-reducing substances in certain fermented or heated foodstuffs. Investigations in our laboratories during the last two years have confirmed these earlier findings and extended them to a wider variety of materials, while showing that the interfering substances may be produced under much less drastic conditions than was previously thought possible. The term ‘apparent vitamin C’ is suggested as conveniently describing these substances which differ from interfering substances previously studied (such as sulphites, glutathione) in simulating vitamin C so closely in their chemical and physical properties that they cannot be distinguished from it by the assay methods which have so far been generally employed. It is probable that, in contrast with sulphites, glutathione, etc., they also resemble vitamin C closely in chemical constitution.
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WOKES, F., ORGAN, J., DUNCAN, J. et al. APPARENT VITAMIN C IN CERTAIN FOODSTUFFS. Nature 152, 14–15 (1943). https://doi.org/10.1038/152014a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/152014a0
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