ABSTRACT
Water-soluble vitamins constitute a diverse group of
compounds that exhibit vitamin activity in vivo and have some degree of solubility in water. They must be
obtained from exogenous sources and are essential for
the normal metabolic and physiological functions of humans; their absence from the diet usually results in
an overt deficiency disease that can be reversed by
administration of the vitamin (1). Additional health benefits have recently been attributed to vitamin
intakes in excess of those needed to prevent classical
nutritional deficiencies. Due to the diverse nature of the vitamins, their structures and physicochemical
properties vary widely. A single vitamin generally
consists of several chemical species or vitamers. Each of these vitamers exhibits similar biological activity
in vivo although their individual structures and physicochemical properties may differ.
