An e-seminar produced as part of the Joint Knowledge Transfer
Framework for Food Standards and Food Safety Analysis.
This e-seminar explores the science, regulation, and analysis of
folic acid (vitamin B9) in bread and flour within the UK food
sector.
It explains the essential role folate plays in human health and
development, particularly in cell growth, DNA synthesis, and the
prevention of neural tube defects during pregnancy. It also
outlines current UK legislation governing the mandatory addition
of folic acid to non-wholemeal wheat flour and public health
objectives behind flour fortification.
A review of the analytical methods currently used to determine
folate levels in bread and flour matrices is presented, which
includes microbiological assays and chromatographic techniques
such as HPLC and LC-MS/MS. The strengths, limitations, and
practical considerations of each method are compared, alongside
best-practice guidance for sampling, quality assurance, and data
interpretation.
Finally, an explanation of how folate test results should be
interpreted and reported is given, and it highlights UK
laboratories that offer folate testing services for the food
industry and regulatory compliance purposes.
This e-seminar was produced by the Joint Knowledge Transfer
Framework for Food Standards and Food Safety Analysis, funded by
the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs, Food Standards Scotland and the Department for
Science Innovation and Technology via the Government Chemist.
Watch the E-seminar:
The determination of folic acid in flour
