Abstract
Folate, a water-soluble vitamin belonging to the B group, is abundantly found in green and yellow vegetables. Adequate intake of folate helps reduce the risk of megaloblastic anemia and neural tube defects in fetuses. In Japan, the evaluation of nutrient intake in humans is generally estimated based on consumed foods and the nutrient content listed in the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. Folate naturally exists in various molecular forms and is present in foods in a bound state with proteins or starch. Due to this complexity, the extraction and quantification of folate compounds in foods have posed significant challenges, and various analytical methods have been developed. This paper introduces methods for the extraction and enzymatic treatment of folate in foods, a microbiological assay for measuring total folate content, and quantification techniques of folate using high-performance liquid chromatography. Furthermore, the current status and challenges of folate quantification methods in Japan are discussed.
