Vitamin C, or Ascorbic Acid, originally manufactured by isolation from fruits and plants, is commonly lab produced today using D-Glucose (grape sugar), one of the most common organic compounds in nature.

Originally Vitamin C was used in medicine for the treatment of the deficiency-disease scurvy. Today, we know Vitamin C is an important antioxidant and strengthens the body's immune system. Most importantly, high dietary Vitamin C intake appears to protect against gastric cancer. This may be due to its action as a scavenger of reactive radical species formed in the gastric mucosa, resulting in a reduced level of radical-mediated DNA damage.

In the food industry, Ascorbic Acid is mainly used as a preservative, for example, in fruit juices and meat products.