Production of Vitamin C

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 Production of Vitamin C

Vitamin C or L-ascorbic Acid is an important metabolite for the most living organism.
 Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
• L-ascorbic acid finds its use mainly in food industry, being a vitamin as well as an
antioxidant.
• Majority of commercially manufactured L-ascorbic acid is synthesized via Reichstein
process using D-glucose as a starting material
• Approximately 50 % of synthetic ascorbic acid is used in vitamins supplements and
pharmaceutical preparations.
• Because of its antioxidant properties and its potential to stimulate collagen
production,
• It is also widely used as an additive to cosmetics.
 Production Process

The Reichstein process uses D-Glucose as starting material and involve six
chemical Steps and one fermentation step for the oxidation of of D-sorbitol
to L- sorbose with and overall yield of 50%.
The synthetic process is based on chemical methods and bears no relationship
to the biochemical pathway used L-Ascorbic acid biosynthesizing organisms.
The Reichstein process is still highly energy consuming and requires high
temperatures and/or pressure for may of the steps.
The reaction steps are :
 Hydrolysis of D-glucose to D-sorbitol, an organic reaction with nickel as a
catalyst under high temperature and high pressure.
Microbial oxidation or fermentation of D-sorbital to L-Sorbose with acetobacter
with pH 4-6 and 30 ˚C.
Protection of the 4 hydroxyl groups in sorbose by formation of the acetal with
acetone and an acid to Diacetone-L-sorbose (2,3:4,6,-Di isopropyliden-α-L-sorbose.
Organic oxidation with potassium permanganate followed by heating with water
gives the 2-Keto –L- gulonsaure.
 The final step is a ring closing step or gamma lactonizationwith removal of water
Intermediate 5 can also be prepared directly from 3 with oxygen and platinum.
The microbial oxidation of sorbitol to sorbose is important because it provides the
correct stereochemistry.
Thanks