Water-soluble antioxidants called ascorbates are utilized to keep proteins and carbohydrates fresh. One of them is designated as ascorbic acid. This is vitamin C in chemical form. It’s used to stop food from browning in the presence of oxygen, notably meat and fruit.
Ascorbates are compounds that contain both anions and cations. Like many compounds in organic chemistry, they have both acidic and basic properties. In fact, they can be either acidic or basic depending on the pH of their solution. Ascorbates are composed of the anion group -OOCCH(OH)CH(OH)COO-, which has a hydroxyl group (-OH). The most common form of this anion is ascorbic acid or vitamin C.