Analytical standards for the measurement of nutrients in infant formula : Vitamins, iositol and choline

RIVM rapport:Niet beschikbaar
Adequate methods with known performance characteristics used for the assessment of the amount of nutrients in formula are essential in the evaluation whether the composition deviates from the legal amounts. Many standardised analytical methods for the analysis of nutrients in formula are internationally available. Currently, EU regulation regarding formula (commission directive 2006/141/EC) does not provide any indication on reference methods to be used in official controls for the analysis of vitamins, choline and inositol in formula. Therefore, an overview of the available standardised methods of analysis for the measurement of vitamins, inositol and choline in infant and follow-on formula is provided. 89 standardised analytical methods from both national and international organizations developing standard analytical methods have been collected and their performance characteristics (i.e. analytical technique, target compound, matrixes validated, LOD, LOQ, analytical range, repeatability, reproducibility, accuracy/spike recovery) are described. For most nutrients studied, several standardised analytical methods are available, with a maximum of 12 for vitamin A. Especially for water-soluble vitamins some current standardised methods are more than 25 years old. However, methods of analysis based on more modern analytical technologies have been developed in the recent decades. 11 new official AOAC methods for the analysis of Vitamin A, D, E, B12, Folic acid and based on more advanced techniques have been adopted as First Action method in 2011 and new AOAC official methods of analysis are expected to be approved in the near future for other nutrients. For several nutrients the overall activity is the sum of the activities of several forms of the compound. However, it is important to notice that the analytical methods available may not always measure the overall activity but only a limited proportion based on specific forms of the compound. In the EU legislation the com