Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in food and dietary supplements

Determination of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in food with an HPLC-UV-VIS method, or in a supplement product with a UPLC-MS/MS method. The lower displayed price applies to supplements and the higher to food samples.

Vitamin C can be declared in the nutrition declaration of food and beverages if it is present in significant amounts, as described in Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. The daily reference intake of vitamin C is 80 mg and the amount in the product can be declared if it contains at least:

• 12 mg/100 g or 100 ml in the case of products other than beverages (15% of daily reference intake)

• 6 mg/100 ml in the case of beverages (7.5% of daily reference intake)

• 12 mg per portion if the package only contains a single portion (15% of daily reference intake)

According to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, foods that contain vitamin C can be labeled with the following nutrition claims:

• "Source of vitamin C" if the product contains vitamin C in amounts described above.

• "High vitamin C" if the product contains at least twice the amount required for the "Source of vitamin C" claim.

Furthermore, foods that are at least sources of vitamin C can be labeled with further health claims, as described in Regulation (EU) No 432/2012.