Vitamin testing for foods and ingredients, to check label claims and confirm that fortified products contain what was added.
| Test | What it measures | Typically reported as |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamins | The vitamins named on your label or specification; which ones we test is confirmed for your product | mg or µg per serving or per 100 g, with the result compared to the label claim when you supply it |
| Vitamin A (retinol) | Preformed vitamin A: retinol and its esters, measured by AOAC Official Method 2001.13. On a label, provitamin A carotenoids such as beta-carotene also count toward vitamin A | mcg RAE (retinol activity equivalents), the Nutrition Facts unit |
| Beta-carotene | Beta-carotene, a provitamin A carotenoid that is also used as a color | mcg; counted toward vitamin A as mcg RAE when the label declares vitamin A |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | Thiamin, measured by LC-MS/MS | mg |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | Riboflavin, measured by HPLC | mg |
| Vitamin B3 (niacin) | Niacin: nicotinic acid and nicotinamide | mg of niacin; the label unit is mg NE (niacin equivalents), where 1 mg NE equals 1 mg niacin or 60 mg tryptophan |
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) | Pantothenic acid, measured by AOAC Official Method 945.74 | mg |
| Vitamin B6 | Vitamin B6 compounds, measured by HPLC | mg |
| Vitamin B12 | Vitamin B12 (cobalamins) | mcg |
| Folate and folic acid | Added folic acid, measured by HPLC based on the USP folic acid method. Naturally occurring food folate is not part of that method | mcg DFE (dietary folate equivalents) on a label, with added folic acid also declared as mcg folic acid; 1 mcg DFE equals 1 mcg food folate or 0.6 mcg folic acid |
| Vitamin C | Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | mg |
| Vitamin D | Vitamin D2 and D3 | mcg |
| Vitamin E | Alpha-tocopherol, the form that counts as vitamin E on a label; synthetic all-rac-alpha-tocopherol counts as half the natural RRR form | mg alpha-tocopherol |
| Vitamin K | Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinones); the forms to measure are agreed for your product | mcg |
| Fortification checks | Whether the added nutrients in a fortified food are present at the stated level | measured amount against the target you supply |
The units marked for the label (RAE, NE, DFE and alpha-tocopherol) are the units FDA uses to declare vitamins on the Nutrition Facts label. A test measures the concentration of the forms it detects. Converting a result to a label unit depends on the forms present: where a food contains both added folic acid and natural folate, or both synthetic and natural vitamin E, FDA requires the maker’s records of the added forms (21 CFR 101.9(g)(10)).
Tell us the product, the matrix (raw ingredient, in-process or finished product) and what the results are for, such as a nutrition label, a specification or a comparison between lots, before you ship. We will confirm the tests, the sample amount and the price. All tests on this page are quoted per project.
The method used for each test is chosen for the food and the question you need answered.
Questions about a sample or a method, call 360-967-7010 or email [email protected].
