Vitamin C - Ascorbic Acid - The 'Antibiotic' Vitamin
 

Vitamin C appears in a white crystal form and is readily soluble in water. This vitamin is easily destroyed by heat, oxidation, drying, and storage. Alkalinity, even to a slight degree, is distinctly destructive to this vitamin. Acid fruits and vegetavles lose much less ascorbic acid on heating than non-acid foods. This vitamin is lost from some vegetables during the first few minutes of cooking.

Therefore, vitamin C - rich foods should be eaten very fresh, to obtain maximum benefits. 

Absorption of vitamin C into the bloodstream takes place in the upper part of the small intestine. The amount of ascorbic acis in different tissues varies: the adrenal and pituitary tissue, brain, pancreas, kidneys, liver, and spleen have relatively high concentrations; blood cells contain even more than the bloodstream.

Vitamin C is excreted by the kidneys through the urine. Excretion is dimnished or absent when the body is already depleted of it. When there is an intake of over 3 g of vitamin C per day, the unabsorbed ascorbic acid is largely excreted in the faeces, and to a smaller extent, in the urine. Recommended Daily Allowance - Vitamin C 
Men 40 mg 
Women 40 mg 
Children 40 mg 
Infants 25 mg 
Lactating Women 80 mg 

More on Vitamin C 
Vitamin C Benefits 
Vitamin C Deficiency Symptoms 
Vitamin C Sources 


Related:

Scurvy - Caused due to Vitamin C Deficiency