Balchem Encapsulates said it will now be offering only USP-grade choline chloride and choline bitartrate to customers. The company's products have received a quality recognition from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) which adopted standards of quality for choline in 2002.
"USP standards have long been respected and trusted within the scientific and manufacturing community. In fact, the new USP choline standards are significantly more rigorous and comprehensive than existing quality standards, such as FCC," said Lucien Hernandez, choline nutrient business manager at Balchem Encapsulates.
He said the decision was a strategic one to offer Balchem's customers the highest quality and purest choline ingredients available.
In addition to meeting Food Chemical Codex (FCC) requirements, USP standards for choline require additional specifications that help ensure the identity, strength, quality and purity of the nutrient. The process for approving quality standards for choline spanned a three-year period, including development and review by a panel of medical experts and input from various quality control and health care professionals.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has also authorized a nutrient content claim for choline. Food and supplements with 55 mg or more of choline cation per portion can be labeled 'a good source of choline' and those with 110 mg, 'an excellent source of choline.'