What is Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate?
[pronounced: al-fa toe-COUGH-er-awl a-suh-tate]
This infant formula ingredient is a shelf-stable form of vitamin E. It is the most common form of vitamin E found in foods.
Why Do Babies Need Vitamin E?
Vitamin E compounds protect cells from damage. They are antioxidants. This damage can happen inside the cell or to the cell membranes. They also play a role in the immune system and in keeping blood from clotting in blood vessels.
Vitamin E isn’t simply one compound, it refers to a group of eight compounds that are closely related. Vitamin E includes four tocopherols [toe-COUGH-eh-rils] and four tocotrienols [toe-co-TRI-en-ols].
Each form of vitamin E has the same amount and ratio of atoms (chemical formula), but their arrangement varies slightly. Their structure is what leads to their role.
Other forms of vitamin E are used in infant formula, including:
mixed tocopherols
d-alpha tocopheryl succinate
alpha tocopherol
Sunflower and safflower oils are especially rich in vitamin E. This is one reason why they are common ingredient in infant formulas. These oils also have ARA.
Why use Letters for Vitamin Names?
If most vitamins are not a single compound, but a group of compounds, then why do we use letters at all? This naming system goes back to the birth of nutrition science and the work of Kazimierz (Casmir) Funk, a polish biochemist who formulated the idea of vitamins. Vitamin B was the first vitamin named because people who ate foods with this vitamin were less likely to get a disease called beriberi. Eventually, the forms of vitamin B were numbered but we also know them by their chemical names: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), and so on.
Regulations and Safety
Vitamin E is not measured by weight. It is measured by the amount of biological action or effect that it can produce. Each form of vitamin E has a slightly different antioxidant ability. To reduce confusion, these are reported as International Units (IU) on food labels and supplement bottles. They can also be expressed as milligram a -tocopherol equivalents (a is the science symbol for alpha). This is because the alpha tocopherol form is the only one that is recognized to meet human requirements. Thus, you will almost always find this form added to foods or in supplements.
The US FDA requires infant formulas to have 0.7 IU vitamin E per 100 calories prepared formula. This is the same as 0.63 mg a-tocopherol. In Europe, the requirement is at least 0.5 mg a-tocopherol, which is the same as 0.55 IU. Unlike the United States, Europe requires the addition of DHA and ARA which is tied to the amount of vitamin E present.
Dietary Considerations
Tocopherols have no dietary restrictions and are appropriate for vegans, vegetarians, and all religious groups.