If a food has ascorbic acid (vitamin c) added to it, is that vitamin c inferior or nothing well absorbed compared to say vitamin c in an orange.
Note: I know real unprocessed foods are better in general.
Vitamin C is vitamin C in this case! Our bodies cannot create these micronutrients and vitamins and so we either eat foods that have them (like the orange) or supplement them through, well, supplements - like a vitamin C pill or water fizzy drink packet that has a lot of C in it.
I made a post over in u/loseit the other day about why the foods we eat matter in terms of micronutrients and vitamins are important and not just CICO for overall body health and fitness. You might find it interesting!
Vit C is the same whether you get it from a whole food or it’s added to something.
The only thing you might be missing out on is other antioxidants and other beneficial compounds from a whole/unprocessed fruit or vegetable for example.