A Comparison of the Utilization by College Women of Equivalent Amounts of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) in Red Raspberries and in Crystalline Form

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Abstract
Seven college women served as subjects for a study of the comparative utilization of ascorbic acid in red raspberries and in the crystalline form of the vitamin. The subjects were ‘saturated’ with vitamin C at the beginning of each test period and consumed weighed amounts of the same basal diet throughout. The urinary excretion and blood plasma level of ascorbic acid were similar for the same subject when receiving vitamin C from red raspberries and from crystalline ascorbic acid. There was considerable variation among subjects with respect to their blood level and excretion of ascorbic acid under comparable conditions. The utilization index as calculated from Sendroy's formula showed the ascorbic acid of red raspberries to be as well utilized as crystalline ascorbic acid. The per cent of the total 24-hour excretion of ascorbic acid eliminated during the first 6 hours varied widely in the same individual and for the different subjects.