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Article: To B or not to B: B vitamins are finding wider application in foods and beverages geared toward disease prevention, performance and general health.(Vitamins and Minerals)
- Article from:
- Food Processing
- Article date:
- August 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Putman Media, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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B vitamins, such as folic acid (folate), cyanocobalamin ([B.sub.12]), pyridoxine ([B.sub.6]), pantothenate ([B.sub.5]), niacin ([B.sub.3]), riboflavin ([B.sub.2]) and thiamin ([B.sub.1]) serve a variety of important functions in the body. Occurring naturally in numerous plant and animal sources, B vitamins are essential to nearly every body function, including converting food into energy, maintaining red blood cells and creating genetic material.
B vitamins aren't stored in the body, as with fat-soluble vitamins and minerals. This makes daily consumption of foods with B vitamins important. Baked items have benefited from B fortification in flour for years, but ...