Testing reports values for alpha, cis-beta, and trans-beta, total beta, and total carotene. Following enzymatic digestion designed for foods, the sample is homogenized with tetrahydrofuran in order to extract the carotenoids. The extract is filtered and quantitated using reverse phase HPLC with UV/Vis detection.
This method is applicable to raw and processed foods, such as baby foods, vegetables, fruits, supplements, and juices.
Samples with >50% fat and samples that are micro-encapsulated.
Samples with high levels of salt may not give reliable results.
HPLC-UV/VIS
Internally Developed Method
mcg RAE/100g
RAE = Retinol Activity Equivalents
10 grams of sample is needed. Samples should be kept frozen until analysis.
α and β-carotenes are plant pigments. This method measures the quantity of fortified and natural-occurring α and β-carotenes in food products and supplements. For products containing multiple forms of Vitamin A, carotenes and retinol can be added together to meet requirements for the NLEA nutrition label.
Please let us know if results need to be reported as Dietary Carotenes (mcg RAE/100g) or Supplemental Carotenes (Supp. mcg RAE/100g) for your sample.
While our sales and customer service team are happy to answer general testing questions, consultations typically start at a rate of $250 per 30 minutes regarding the interpretation of reported test results or questions about our test methods. We cannot consult on regulations, tolerance limits, or claims.
We make every effort to keep our methods and detection limits up to date according to the latest standards and qualifications. If you have any questions regarding the limit of detection/quantification or method references, please contact our Customer Service team at 1-800-245-5615.
Our standard turnaround time is 10 business days for most assays. There are some assays that require a longer turnaround time. We also offer a RUSH service that is half the time of the standard turnaround time of the assay at double the cost of the assay. A few assays that we provide cannot be rushed due to the nature of the test. Please check the specific assay you are interested in regarding the ability to RUSH the turnaround time.
Medallion Labs, a division of General Mills, offers multiple areas of expertise for analytical testing and product evaluation for the food and ingredient industry. Our areas of expertise include Chemical Analysis, Nutritional Analysis, Food Safety, Shelf Life Studies, Microbiology, Specialty Fibers, Physical Testing, Allergen Testing, as well as Product Evaluation (which includes Product Performance and Sensory Evaluation) and Technical Consulting/Method Development. Our methods are developed for the testing of food products and ingredients.
We will report the Carotene results in mcg RAE (retinol activity equivalents) per 100g of sample. Upon request, we can also report in IU (international units). The mcg RAE unit is now the standard Vitamin A unit for nutrition labeling in the United States.
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A food testing program designed with mid-market and enterprise food and ingredient manufacturers in mind.