Carotene pro-vitamin

The mandatory fortification of margarine with Vitamin A is accomplished by the addition of p-carotene (pro-Vitamin A) and/or Vitamin A esters. The carotene level is adjusted for the desired color and the colorless esters (acetate, palmitate, etc.) are used to standardize the vitamin content. Addition of Vitamin D is optional. Fortification with Vitamin E is not permitted by the U.S. margarine standard, but recently some spreads fortified with Vitamin E have appeared in the marketplace in the United States, and fortification of both margarines and spreads has recently been done in Europe. The naturally occurring Vitamin E content of vegetable oil margarines available in the United States has been reported (227). 

A fat-soluble vitamin occurs in two principal forms in nature retinol and certain carotenoids. Retinol is found only in animal sources, in foods snch as fish, meat, eggs and fiiU-fat milk. In plant foods, vitamin A can be obtained fiom a family of substances called carotenoids that are found in brightly coloured flnit and vegetables, and leafy green vegetables. The best-known form of carotenoid is j -carotene (pro-vitamin A). /5-Carotene can be converted to... 

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