EFSA OpenFoodTox 3.0 — Vitamin and micronutrient substances overview

All vitamin and micronutrient substances registered in EFSA OpenFoodTox 3.0 (April 2026 release), with linkage to associated regulatory dossiers across EFSA programmes.

Scope

14 vitamin/micronutrient groups scanned in REF_SUB sheet (1617 total REF_SUB entries, 33 = 2.0% are vitamins).

Join chain

`` REF_SUB (vitamins, 33) ↓ SUB.ReferenceSubstance.ReferenceSubstance = REF_SUB.Document UUID SUB (33 vitamin-related entries) ↓ DOSSIER_DOCS.DOCUMENT UUID = SUB.Document UUID DOSSIER (82 dossiers across 25 vitamin SUBs) ``

8 vitamin REF_SUB entries did not map to any SUB entry in the SUB sheet (likely ReferenceSubstances with no registered Substance yet → no dossier).

Per-vitamin dossier counts (dossiers_oft.sub join)

Vitamin	REF_SUB	SUB	Dossiers	Notes
B3 (Niacin/PP)	4	4	18	Most dossiers (Niacinamide, Nicotinic acid, β-Nicotinamide riboside, imidazolinone derivative)
A (Retinoids/Carotenoids)	6	6	17	Includes Retinyl acetate, β-Carotene (E 160a), Canthaxanthin (E 161g), Zeaxanthin (E 161h), Astaxanthin, 3-hydroxy-β-carotene
C (Ascorbates — Vitamin C)	4	4	12	L-Ascorbic acid (E 300), Sodium L-ascorbate (E 301), Calcium ascorbate (E 302), L-Ascorbyl palmitate (E 304i), Sodium isoascorbate (E 316)
E (Tocopherols)	4	4	12	α-Tocopherol (E 307), γ-Tocopherol (E 308), Tocophersolan (Vitamin E TPGS, food/feed additive)
B1 (Thiamin)	1	1	6	Thiamine hydrochloride (aneurine)
B2 (Riboflavin)	3	3	6	Riboflavin (E 101i), Riboflavin-5'-phosphate (Bacillus subtilis fermentation), Lactoflavin
B5 (Pantothenic acid)	2	2	4	D-Pantothenic acid, calcium salt
B6 (Pyridoxine)	1	1	3	Pyridoxine hydrochloride
B12 (Cobalamin)	3	3	3	Cyanocobalamin (Ensifer adhaerens fermentation), Cobalamin (5,6-dimethylbenzimidazol)
Choline	1	1	1	Choline
D (Calciferols)	4	11	18*	11 SUB entries incl. cholecalciferol (5 dossiers), vitamin D parent (6), Vitamin D2 by Agaricus bisporus (4), 25-hydroxy (2), ergocalciferol (1)
B7 (Biotin)	0	0	0	No entry with name match
B9 (Folate)	0	0	0	No entry with name match
Total	33	33	82	—

\* Note: Vitamin D scan was expanded after the initial overview. Direct scan of SUB.ChemicalName for cholecalciferol/ ergocalciferol/25-hydroxy patterns revealed 11 SUB entries and 18 dossiers, all of which were missed by the initial REF_SUB.Name-only scan. See EFSA_OpenFoodTox_3_vitamin_d_anomaly for full deep slice. The corrected count is 18 dossiers across 5 regulations (Reg 1831/2003, Reg 178/2002, Reg 2015/2283 Article 10 for novel food D2, legacy Dir 524/1970, other).

Subtraction findings

Vitamin A / E / C / B3 cover 71% of all vitamin dossiers (59/82 = 72%). Together they form the workhorse regulatory science dossiers for food additives (E-numbers like E 160a-307 + E 300-316), feed additives (retinyl acetate for animal nutrition), and supplement dossiers (vitamin B3 forms).

E-number crosswalk

OF T3.0 covers the standard EU E-numbers used for vitamin additives in food:

E 160a (β-Carotene, provitamin A)
E 161b (Mixed Carotenoids)
E 161g (Canthaxanthin)
E 161h (Zeaxanthin)
E 300 (Ascorbic acid)
E 301 (Sodium ascorbate)
E 302 (Calcium ascorbate)
E 304(i) (Ascorbyl palmitate)
E 306 (Tocopherol-rich extract — *not in OFT3.0*)
E 307 (α-Tocopherol)
E 308 (γ-Tocopherol)
E 101(i) (Riboflavin)

Modern production sources

Several vitamin REF_SUB entries reflect modern fermentation production methods (vs. chemical synthesis):

25-hydroxycholecalciferol by *Saccharomyces cerevisiae*

CBS 146008 (vitamin D metabolite; EU authorised novel food ingredient for feeds)

25-hydroxycholecalciferol monohydrate by *Saccharomyces

cerevisiae* CBS 146008 / *Pseudonocardia autotrophica* DSM 32858

Riboflavin by *Bacillus subtilis* CGMCC 13326 (food)
Riboflavin-5'-phosphate ester by *Bacillus subtilis*

KCCM 10445 (food)

Cyanocobalamin by *Ensifer adhaerens* CGMCC 19596

(vitamin B12 by fermentation)

Vitamin B12 by *Ensifer adhaerens* CGMCC 21299

These are recent reauthorisations for vitamins produced by specific microbial strains — historically these were synthesised chemically.

Source

Extracted directly from toxicology/efsa/OFT3.0_export_repository.xlsx sheets: REF_SUB, SUB, DOSSIER_DOCS. Join verified by UUID cross-check on 2026-07-20.