Vitamin C is a very unstable compound, which allows many factors to ‘destroy’ it or simply decrease its concentration. This includes enzymes, free radicals, heat and oxygen. In association with the practicality of storing Vitamin C, the most important factors effecting the concentration is temperature and time.
Ascorbic acid breaks down in the process of oxygen in an oxidation reaction that involves an oxidation to dehydroascorbic acid. Oxidation can be accelerated by heat, time, UV radiation and the presence of enzymes and free radicals. The other method of oxidation is when ascorbic acid has been doubly oxidised to form dehydroascorbic acid.
When the temperature is increased in any reaction it causes the reaction rate to increase. Atoms