Vitamins nutritional labelling

According to the directive 90/496/EEC on nutrition labeling of foodstuffs [401], the vitamin levels in food have to be reported as relative daily allowance (RDA%). This information is mandatory on the label if any claim about their content [402] or addition of vitamins [403] is made. The European Union Regulation 1925/2006 stipulates the vitamin formulations that may be added to foods [403]. 

JW DeVries. Water-soluble vitamins. In DM Sullivan, DE Carpenter, eds. Methods of Analysis for Nutritional Labelling. Arlington, VA AOAC International, 1993, pp 131-135. 

Nutritional labeling Minerals, cholesterol, vitamins, fibers, fatty adds, amino adds... 

According to the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA, 1993), it is optional to give information about the contents of tocopherols and tocotrienols in food labeling in the United States. If given, the contents should be compared with the Reference Daily Intakes (RDI) for vitamin E of 20 mg a-tocopherol equivalents (30 IU)/day. In Europe, only significant quantities of vitamins can be declared. This... 

Eitenmiller, R. and Laden, W.O. Vitamins (eds. J.J. Jem and W.C. Ikins), Analyzing Food for Nutrition Labeling and Hazardous Contaminants. Marcel Dekker, New York. 1995. 

Hundreds of thousands of food products are available in the United States, courtesy of a multibillion-doUar-a-year industry. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA) requires food manufacturers to list amounts of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugars, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron in each serving of their products. Total Calories and Calories from fat must also be listed, as well as the ingredients. Food labels include the amount per serving of each nutrient (except vitamins and minerals) and the amount of each nutrient as a percentage of a daily value based on a 2000-Calorie diet. 

RR Eitennufler, WO Landen Jr. Vitamins. In U Joen, WG Ikins, eds. Analyzing Food for Nutrition Labelling and Hazardous Contaminants. New York Marcel Dekker, 1995, pp 195-281. 

Nutrition labels list how many calories and how much protein, carbohydrate, and fat are in a sewing of the product. They also list the percentage of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances (U.S. RDAs) of protein and seven important minerals and vitamins that each serving of the product contains. 

The lower part of the nutrition label must give the percentages of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances (U.S. RDA) of protein and seven vitamins and minerals in a serving of the product, in the following order protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, and iron. The listing of 12 other vitamins and minerals, and of cholesterol, fatty acid, and sodium content is optional—for now. Nutrients present at levels less than 2% of the U.S. RDA may be indicated by a zero or an asterisk which refers to the statement, "contains less than 2% of the U.S. RDA of these nutrients."... 

For food labeling purposes, which require the actual amounts of vitamin A in the food rather than the nutritional value, data obtained by physicochemical assay are expressed on a weight basis. In plant-derived foods, the appropriate units are /3-carotene equivalents expressed in micrograms of /3-carotene. By definition, 1 /3-carotene equivalent is equal to 1 fig of all-trans-/3-carotene or 2 fig of other, largely animal-derived foods, the units are either micrograms of retinol or retinol equivalents (32). 

If vitamins are added to a product to make a nutritional claim, it is critical that shelf-life studies are undertaken to prove that the overages added are sufficient to ensure that the label claims can be met at the end of product shelf life. This is important as none of the vitamins are fully stable in a soft drink environment and some, for instance vitamin C, are very quickly lost in the presence of oxygen. The addition of the fat-soluble vitamins to a soft drink also offers a formulation challenge to ensure that they are fully dispersed and that there are no problems with neck ringing during storage. Trace metals, particularly the transition elements, can also have a deleterious effect on vitamin shelf life, and sometimes metal scavengers, such as EDTA or phosphate salts, are added to improve the shelf life. 

Vitamin A is extremely sensitive to UV photonic energy. The photosensitivity of vitamin A makes it unsuitable for use in bags for 24-hour infusions, if the bag is not photoprotected. Only 10% of the labeled amount of vitamin A (10 mL of Multibionta added to a complex aqueous nutritional admixture) was found after a eight-hour exposure to ambient radiation and temperature (89). Protection from UV radiation is possible. Use of suitable UV-absorbing covers, or the presence of a fat emulsion (opacification) in the admixture, can reduce the loss of vitamin A considerably. 

Nicotinamide is derived from nicotinic acid that is synthesized by human cells from the essential amino acid tryptophan. Our diet is also a rich source of nicotinamide, so the body has adapted to synthesizing much less than the daily requirements. Many commercial breakfast cereals and spreads are supplemented with nicotinamide that is usually termed niacin or vitamin B3 on their Nutrition Fact labels. 

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