{"topic_id":"EFSA_OpenFoodTox_3_vitamin_composition_breakdown","category":"efsa","context":"---\ntopic_id: EFSA_OpenFoodTox_3_vitamin_composition_breakdown\ncategory: efsa\ntitle: EFSA OpenFoodTox 3.0 — Vitamin substance compositions in FLEX_REC (46 records across 11 SUB groups)\nlang: en\nsource: OpenFoodTox 3.0 (Zenodo 19388272), sheets FLEX_REC + REF_SUB\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-20\ntokens_estimated: 560\n---\n\nThe `FLEX_REC` sheet in OpenFoodTox 3.0 contains 4578\nflexible records of which **4577 are\n`FLEXIBLE_RECORD.SubstanceComposition`** — these describe\nhow multi-constituent substances (additive preparations,\nvitamin mixtures, mineral complexes) are composed of\nindividual reference substances.\n\nFor pet food formulation, this is critical: vitamin\npremixes are rarely pure vitamins — they contain\nstabilisers, carriers, and minor isomers/impurities that\n**need to be tracked for feed safety**.\n\n## Scope\n\n- **46 vitamin-as-constituent records** (in 11 vitamin\n  families) found in FLEX_REC\n- These records represent the **composition breakdown**\n  of vitamin-containing additive preparations\n- All 46 vitamin constituents link to **27 distinct\n  parent SUB entries** (i.e. 27 vitamin premixes /\n  multi-constituent vitamin substances have published\n  composition records)\n\n## Vitamin constituent distribution\n\n| Vitamin | Constituents | Distinct parents | Sample substance |\n|---------|-------------:|----------------:|------------------|\n| **A** | **11** | 8 | Canthaxanthin, β-carotene-4,4'-dione |\n| **B1** | **0** | 0 | (no records) |\n| **B2** | **0** | 0 | (no records) |\n| **B3** | 1 | 1 | Nicotinic acid |\n| **B5** | **0** | 0 | (no records) |\n| **B6** | 3 | **1** | Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (covers all B6 vitamers in 1 dossier) |\n| **B7** | **0** | 0 | (no records) |\n| **B9** | **6** | **1** | Tetrahydrofolate family (6 folate vitamers in 1 dossier) |\n| **B12** | 6 | 6 | Cyanocobalamin variants |\n| **C** | **5** | **5** | E 300, E 316, E 304(i) — 4 distinct C forms |\n| **D** | **3** | 3 | 25-hydroxycholecalciferol |\n| **E** | **10** | 6 | α-Tocopherol family |\n| **K** | 1 | 1 | Menaquinones |\n| **Total** | **46** | **27** | |\n\n## Key patterns\n\n### Water-soluble vitamins with no composition records\n\n**B1 / B2 / B5 / B7 — 4 of the 8 B-vitamins** — have\n**zero** FLEX_REC constituent records. These vitamins\nare typically registered as **pure single-constituent\nsubstances** (e.g. thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin,\ncalcium pantothenate, d-biotin) without published\ncomposition breakdowns. They're sold in pure form for\nfeed-grade use; composition breakdowns would simply\nrepeat the substance name.\n\n### Folate family bundled in one dossier\n\n**Vitamin B9** is the standout: a single dossier\n(parent `55fa9f45`) declares 6 folate forms:\n1. Tetrahydrofolate\n2. 5-Methyl-tetrahydrofolate\n3. 5-Formyl-tetrahydrofolate\n4. 5,10-Methylene-tetrahydrofolate\n5. 10-Formyl-tetrahydrofolate\n6. 5,10-Methenyl-tetrahydrofolic acid\n\nThis reflects the **natural co-existence of folate\nvitamers in feed-grade folic acid preparations** —\nthe dossier author treats them as one compositional\nsubstance since they're biologically interconvertible.\n\n### Vitamin B6 vitamers bundled\n\n**Vitamin B6** parent `f8865a28` declares 3 pyridoxine\nforms in one dossier:\n1. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate\n2. Pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate\n3. Pyridoxine 5'-phosphate\n\nAll 3 are B6 vitamers (the body interconverts them via\npyridoxal kinase / oxidase).\n\n### Vitamin C: 5 distinct dossiers for 4 distinct forms\n\n| Parent UUID | E-number / Name | Pet food use |\n|-------------|-----------------|--------------|\n| `66ef0ad0` | E 300 L-Ascorbic acid | Standard pet food antioxidant |\n| `02b5b890` | E 300 L-Ascorbic acid (duplicate dossier) | Possibly separate producer / spec |\n| `d93be6cc` | E 316 Sodium isoascorbate | Same antioxidant power, lower cost |\n| `92111c32` | E 304(i) L-ascorbyl palmitate | **Fat-soluble form** for dry food coatings |\n| `aca00819` | Calcium L-ascorbate dihydrate | Mineral-bound form for chewable tablets |\n\nL-ascorbyl palmitate (E 304(i)) is the **fat-soluble\nvitamin C** — particularly relevant for **dry pet\nfood kibbles** where water-soluble vitamin C would\ndegrade during extrusion.\n\n### Vitamin A: 8 parents, 11 constituents (most diverse)\n\nVitamin A has the **most diverse FLEX_REC composition**,\nwith forms including:\n- Canthaxanthin (β-Carotene-4,4'-dione, CI Food Orange 5)\n- (3R,3'R,6'R)-β,ε-Carotene-3,3'-diol (lutein)\n- ζ-Carotene (zeta-carotene)\n- 3,3'-Dihydroxy-β,β-carotene-4,4'-dione (astaxanthin)\n- Ovoester (egg-yolk vitamin A ester)\n\nCanthaxanthin and astaxanthin are also **colouring\nagents** in fish feed (salmon/prawn pigmentation) —\ntheir appearance in vitamin A dossiers reflects EFSA's\ncombined carotenoid evaluation.\n\n### Vitamin D: 3 parents in FLEX_REC\n\nThe 3 Vitamin D FLEX_REC parents represent **3 distinct\nproduction origins** of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol:\n- Parent A (separate strain)\n- Parent B (separate strain)\n- Parent C (separate strain)\n\nEach parent likely corresponds to a separate\nbiotech-produced variant (Saccharomyces,\nPseudonocardia, chemical synthesis) with different\nimpurity profiles.\n\n## Concentration data quality\n\nOf 46 vitamin constituents, only **3 had\n`Concentration.lowerValue` populated**:\n\n| Constituent | lower | upper | Unit |\n|-------------|------:|------:|------|\n| β-Carotene-4,4'-dione / CANTHAX | 0.02 | 0.78 | \"other:\" (likely %) |\n| (3R,3'R,6'R)-β,ε-carotene-3,3'-diol | 0.1 | 0.5 | \"other:\" |\n| ζ-Carotene | 2 | 5.9 | \"other:\" |\n\n**Concentration data is severely underpopulated** in\nthe FLEX_REC sheet. Most composition records declare\n*which* reference substances make up the substance but\nnot *how much* of each. Quantitative premix formulation\nwill need to source concentration data from outside\nFLEX_REC (likely from `FLEX_SUM.ToxRefValues` which\ncontains concentration ranges from exposure summaries).\n\n## Pet food relevance\n\nFor pet food manufacturers, **composition records matter\nbecause**:\n\n1. **Carry-over / impurity limits** — EFSA evaluates\n   each substance under the assumption that documented\n   constituents are what's actually present. Deviations\n   require re-evaluation.\n2. **Species-specific bioavailability** — vitamer\n   composition (e.g. pyridoxal vs pyridoxine for B6)\n   affects absorption rates in dogs vs cats vs\n   livestock.\n3. **Claim substantiation** — EU Feed Additive\n   Regulation 1831/2003 requires declared composition\n   for any nutritional claim.\n\nThe **46 records × 27 dossiers** here are the universe\nof EU-registered vitamin substances with published\ncompositions. Adding more vitamin premixes to EU feed\nadditive register would expand this set.\n\n## Source\n\n`toxicology/efsa/OFT3.0_export_repository.xlsx` sheets:\nFLEX_REC (composition records) + REF_SUB (constituent\nidentification).\n\nPattern: match REF_SUB.Name against vitamin keywords\n(retinol, thiamine, pyridoxine, cobalamin, chol-\necalciferol, tocopherol, ascorbic, etc.) joined via\nFLEX_REC.Constituents.Constituents.ReferenceSubstance\nfield.\n\nVerified 2026-07-20.","sources":[],"tokens_estimated":560,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}