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Product Review: Vitamin C Supplements |
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How Products were Selected:
Products selected represent those commonly sold and/or available nationally in the U.S. ConsumerLab.com purchased products on the open market through retail stores, on-line retailers, and direct sales or multi-level marketing companies. Products were not accepted directly from manufacturers.
Testing Method:
Vitamin C products were tested for their amount of vitamin C and their ability to disintegrate in solution (excluding capsules, chewable and time-release products). All products were first analyzed utilizing a HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) assay in an independent laboratory. Products not passing this initial assay were tested in a second independent laboratory using the AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) Official Method 43.064 — Microfluorometric Method for Quantitation of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in an independent laboratory. Disintegration of non-capsule, non-chewable and non-time release formulations was analyzed utilizing USP (United States Pharmacopeia) 2040 recommendations entitled "Disintegration and Dissolution of Nutritional Supplements." The identities of the products were not disclosed to the laboratories performing the testing.
Passing Score: *
To achieve a "Pass" in the testing, a product had to first contain at least 100% and no more than 120% of its claimed amount of vitamin C and, second, meet recommended USP parameters for disintegration for vitamin supplements (excluding capsules, chewable and time-release products). The amount of vitamin C in the product also had to be clearly and accurately stated in the labeling. A pass was based on meeting the criteria for both vitamin C quantity and, if applicable, disintegration, in either the first or second rounds of testing.
* ConsumerLab.com reserves the right to disqualify a product at any time from passing its testing if it considers such product to present a safety risk or to provide misleading or inaccurate information in its labeling.
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