Numerous beverages, such as multivitamin juice and sports drinks, are enriched with vitamins. These beverages may not be listed on a label as "enriched" or "fortified" with a particular vitamin supplement unless the vitamin is present in "significant amounts", which are defined in Annex XIII to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. For beverages, this amount is set at a minimum of 7.5 % of the NRV (nutrient reference values) per 100 ml or 15 % of the NRV per portion for individual portions.
Quantities recommended for the daily dietary intake of vitamins:
Determination of the content of provitamin A
This method is suitable for the analysis of non-alcoholic beverages and juices which do not contain any other carotenoids except for β-carotene.
Carotenoids soluble in petroleum ether are clarified using Carrez I and Carrez II solutions and precipitated quantitatively through adsorption with zinc hexacyanoferrate (II) . The carotenoids in the precipitate material are dissolved in acetone and subsequently extracted with petroleum ether. The total carotenoid content in the petroleum ether solution is determined photometrically.