Ergocalciferol food enrichment

Synthetic ergocalciferol is used for enrichment and fortification of foods its metabolic fate is the same as that of dietary cholecalciferol. Except where there are known to be differences between the two vitamers, it is assumed that aU of the following discussion applies equally to ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol. There are few rich dietary sources of vitamin D, and the major source is usually photosynthesis in the skin. Dietary vitamin D is absorbed in chylomicrons and taken up rapidly by the liver as chylomicron remnants are cleared from... 

The normal dietary form of vitamin D is cholecalciferol (also known as calciol). This is also the compound that is formed in the skin by UV irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol. Some foods are enriched or fortified with the synthetic compound ergocalciferol, which is synthesized by UV irradiation of the steroid ergosterol. Ergocalciferol undergoes the same metabolism as cholecalciferol, and has the same biological activity. Early studies assigned the name vitamin to an impure mixture of products derived from... 

A common practice in some countries is the fortification of margarines by ergocalciferol or dehydrocholecalciferol, and milk and breakfast cereals are likewise often fortified. Ergocalciferol is the main form of vitamin D found in the fortified foods and pharmaceutical preparations. It is produced industrially by photoisomerisation of ergosterol. Some of the earher procedures of feed enrichment (e.g. yeast for feed purposes) by ergocalciferol were based on irradiation of materials rich in ergosterol. 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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