Total vitamin C, ascorbic acid (AsA) and dehydro-ascorbic acid (DAsA) contents in commercially-available products were measured. Then, the relationships between the vitamin C content and product information were analyzed. Sixty-seven % of consumers indicated that their first priority was brand rating, whereas 31% of these answered they put considerable value on a reasonable price. Pharmaceutical companies have high consumer awareness. A comparison showed that there was no significant difference between the vitamin C contents among products and brand rating, category (medical supply vs. health food product) and dosage forms. Although there was not much difference between total C content and labeled amount in each product, products that have relatively low C contents tended to have a higher price. The product that fit the consumer's needs was a tablet form from the medical supply for consumers who place value on the brand rating. In contrast, either a tablet from the medical supply category or a granule from the health food product category meets the needs of consumers whose priority is reasonable price.
View full abstract