Vitamin B9 (folic acid) in food and dietary supplements

Determination of vitamin B9 content in food or supplements. Depending on the matrix, the analysis covers the following parameters:

• Food: folic acid, 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolic acid, 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolic acid, and vitamin B9 as folic acid and folates. Testing is performed with an HPLC-MS method based on AOAC 2011.06.

• Supplements: vitamin B9 as folic acid with a UPLC-MS/MS method.

According to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, the daily reference intake for folic acid (folate) is 200 µg. According to the regulation, folic acid can be declared in the nutrition declaration, if it is present in at least the following amounts:

• 30 µg/100 g or 100 ml in products other than beverages (15% of reference value)

• 15 µg/100 ml in beverages (7.5% of reference value)

• 30 µg per portion if the package contains a single portion (15% of reference value)

Foods and beverages that meet the above minimum content requirements are considered sources of folate. Such products may be labeled with additional health claims, such as:

• "Folate contributes to normal blood formation"

• "Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy"

• "Folate contributes to normal amino acid synthesis"

• "Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue"

More information on permitted nutrition and health claims can be found in Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EU) No 432/2012.