ABSTRACT
The necessity of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) for human health is firmly established. As humans are not able to synthesize ascorbic acid, they are dependent on their dietary intake. The dietary sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables, espe-cially in uncooked forms. The historical discovery of the beneficial effects of fruits as food dates back to the Middle Ages. Scurvy was common among sailors during the long sea expeditions of the 15th and 16th centuries. The sailors suf-fered from symptoms of scurvy: capillary hemorrhages, bleeding gums and loos-ening of teeth, reduced rate of wound healing, depression, and fatigue (1). Vasco da Gama, for example, lost about 100 of his 160 seamen in his India passage between 1497 and 1499. As late as 1740, the British admiral Anson lost five of his six ships and 1165 of 1500 seamen before reaching the coast of South America. During wars in the 19th century, when food shortage was acute, scurvy was also a problem.
