Summary
The method of Deutsch and Weeks was modified to provide a reliable and reasonably quick method for assaying the L-ascorbic acid content of culture medium. The modified method was used to determine the decay of L-ascorbic acid under various conditions of culture and the concentration of the vitamin in commercially prepared media. The half-life of L-ascorbic acid in a modified New circulator gassed with 95% O2+5% CO2 was 1.5 hr.; and when gassed with 20% O2+5% CO2+75% N2, about 2 hr. In Petri dishes gassed with 20% O2+5% CO2+75% N2, the half-life of L-ascorbic acid was 0.9 hr. About 4% of the L-ascorbic acid was lost per day when medium was stored at 0°C and about 9% per day when stored at 5°C. When medium with an initial content of 300 μg per ml was stored at room temperature, the half-life was found to be 15.5 hr. The L-ascorbic acid in five commercially available media, which contain the vitamin in their formulations, was assayed immediately after their delivery to the laboratory. The values of L-ascorbic acid measured in these media were in all cases far lower than prescribed. A continuous-flow organ culture system has been designed which allows the provision of a relatively constant level of L-ascorbic acid to an explant by taking advantage of the slow oxidation of L-ascorbic acid at 0°C.
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Feng, J., Melcher, A.H., Brunette, D.M. et al. Determination of L-ascorbic acid levels in culture medium: Concentrations in commercial media and maintenance of levels under conditions of organ culture. In Vitro 13, 91–99 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02615072
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02615072