Vitamins + minerals: Authorised substances

Permitted substances in the EU + EEA according to COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1170/2009 of 30 November 2009

Vitamins A to E are by no means standardised substances. In the case of vitamin B12, for example, there are at least 4 substances that act in the same way in the body, can be partially converted into each other and can therefore all be labelled as "B12".
Minerals cannot be absorbed in pure form. Most people know from chemistry lessons, for example, what happens if you take potassium pure or combine it with water. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8DiLjGc3pA, so you should not try to cover your potassium requirements with pure potassium! This is why minerals and trace elements must always be taken in the form of chemical compounds that are harmless to the body, which can then extract the substances through digestion or conversion.
There is therefore a very wide range of chemical compounds that manufacturers of food supplements and medicines can use to enrich their products with vitamins and minerals.

Some of these are better utilised, some worse. Some are permitted in the EU, others can only be obtained from abroad as they are not authorised here, mostly due to safety concerns.

>In the past, many very good compounds were not authorised in Germany; the new EU Regulation No. 1170/2009 has brought significant improvements here. Important substances with very high valency, such as methylcobalamin or iron bisglycinate, were previously prohibited, but are now authorised, much to the benefit of consumers.

In our online shop you will only find selected products that contain substances with the highest availability. This distinguishes our range from the usual supermarket, drugstore and pharmacy products.
Below is a current list of all substances permitted in the EU for vitamin and mineral fortification:

Vitamins	Authorised compounds	Minerals	Authorised compounds
Vitamin A	Retinol, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate, beta-carotene	Potassium	Potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium chloride, potassium citrate, potassium gluconate, potassium glycerophosphate, potassium lactate, potassium hydroxide, potassium L-pidolate, potassium malate, potassium salts of orthophosphoric acid
Vitamin D	cholecalciferol, ergocalciferol	calcium	Calcium acetate, calcium L-ascorbate, calcium bisglycinate, calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, calcium citrate malate, calcium salts of citric acid, calcium gluconate, calcium glycerophosphate, calcium lactate, calcium pyruvate, calcium salts of orthophosphoric acid, calcium succinate, calcium hydroxide, calcium L-lysinate, calcium malate, calcium oxide, calcium L-pidolate, calcium L-threonate, calcium sulphate
Vitamin E	D-alpha-tocopherol, DL-alpha-tocopherol, D-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, D-alpha-tocopheryl acid succinate, mixed tocopherols, tocotrienol-tocopherol	magnesium	Magnesium acetate, magnesium ascorbate, magnesium bisglycinate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium chloride, magnesium salts of citric acid, magnesium gluconate, magnesium glycerophosphate, magnesium salts of orthophosphoric acid, magnesium lactate, magnesium L-lysinate, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium malate, magnesium oxide magnesium L-pidolate, magnesium potassium citrate, magnesium pyruvate, magnesium succinate, magnesium sulphate, magnesium taurate, magnesium acetyl taurate
Vitamin K	Phylloquinone (phytomenadione), menaquinone	iron	Iron carbonate, iron citrate, iron ammonium citrate, iron gluconate, iron fumarate, iron sodium diphosphate, iron lactate, iron sulphate, iron diphosphate (iron pyrophosphate), iron saccharate, elemental iron (electrolytic, carbonyl- or hydrogen-reduced), iron bisglycinate, iron L-pidolate, iron(II) phosphate, iron(II) taurate
Vitamin C	L-ascorbic acid, sodium L-ascorbate, calcium L-ascorbate, potassium L-ascorbate, L-ascorbyl-6-palmitate, magnesium L-ascorbate, zinc L-ascorbate	Zinc	Zinc acetate, zinc L-ascorbate, zinc L-aspartate, zinc bisglycinate, zinc chloride, zinc citrate, zinc gluconate, zinc lactate, zinc L-lysinate, zinc malate, zinc mono-L-methionine sulphate, zinc oxide, zinc carbonate, zinc L-pidolate, zinc picolinate, zinc sulphate
thiamine	Thiamine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, thiamine monophosphate chloride, thiamine pyrophosphate chloride	Copper	Copper carbonate, copper citrate, copper gluconate, copper sulphate, copper L-aspartate, copper bisglycinate, copper lysine complex, copper(II) oxide
Riboflavin	Riboflavin, riboflavin-5′-phosphate, sodium	manganese	Manganese ascorbate, magnesium L-aspartate, manganese bisglycinate, manganese carbonate, manganese chloride, manganese citrate, manganese gluconate, manganese glycerophosphate, manganese pidolate, manganese sulphate
niacin	Nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, inositol hexanicotinate (inositol niacinate)	Fluorine	Calcium fluoride, potassium fluoride, sodium fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate
Vitamin B6	Pyridoxine hydrochloride, pyridoxine-5′-phosphate, pyridoxal-5′-phosphate	Selenium	L-selenomethionine, selenium yeast, selenous acid, sodium selenate, sodium hydrogen selenite, sodium selenite
Folic acid	Pteroylmonoglutamic acid, calcium L-methylfolate, 5MTHF-glucosamine	chromium	Chromium(III) chloride, chromium(III) lactate trihydrate, chromium nitrate, chromium picolinate, chromium(III) sulphate
Vitamin B12	Cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, 5′-deoxyadenosylcobalamin, methylcobalamin	Molybdenum	Ammonium molybdate (molybdenum (VI)), sodium molybdate (molybdenum (VI))
Biotin	D-biotin	iodine	Sodium iodide, sodium iodate, potassium iodide, potassium iodate
Pantothenic acid	Calcium D-pantothenate, sodium D-pantothenate, D-panthenol, pantethine	Chlorine and phosphorus	may also be added according to NEM-V, but are irrelevant in practice as they are not deficiency substances.
Other authorised substances	Boric acid, sodium borate, choline-stabilised orthosilicic acid, silicon dioxide, silicic acid (in gel form)

Sources:

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1170/2009 of 30 November 2009 amending Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the lists of vitamins and minerals and their preparations which may be added to foods or used in the manufacture of food supplements. Entry into force on 10.01.2010 (20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union on 21.12.2009).

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION of 19 March 2014 authorising the placing on the market of (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid, glucosamine salt as a novel food ingredient under Regulation (EC) No 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council