Vitamin C: The missing link

An international quest to understand how plants produce vitamin C has been successfully completed by the NZ fruit science company, HortResearch.

While studying kiwifruit, a fruit high in vitamin C, the team at HortResearch found the last undiscovered enzyme in the pathway that builds vitamin C.

Our bodies are unable to make this vitamin, so it’s essential we get enough in our diet.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are our main sources of vitamin C and there is a suggestion that vitamin C consumed through these foods is more beneficial than supplements, as it is absorbed slowly, providing the full benefit.

For HortResearch this is the beginning of a new phase in vitamin C research; they will now use this knowledge to find ways of producing fruit with higher concentrations of vitamin C.

In the meantime, keep eating those kiwifruit if you’re looking for a good vitamin C boost!

Source: HortResearch, August 2007