special feature: vitamin C identification

Today, our nutritional need for vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is well known and understood by the general public. As a dietary supplement, it is the vitamin with the largest commercial volume; some 108 kg (>US$600 million in the global market) are sold each year as tablets, a component of multivitamin products and an addition to many foods and drinks with the intention of promoting health. However, it can also be added to products simply to enhance the sales appeal. It can appear in unexpected places, such as chewing gum and sweets, personal care products and even in pet and animal feed (ascorbic acid is not considered to be a vitamin for animals other than humans). The demand for vitamin C is growing fast and new production facilities that are coming online in China are restructuring the manufacturing and supply of this product.