ABSTRACT
The fat-soluble vitamins include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. Knowledge of their roles in metabolism and maintenance of health has greatly expanded over the recent past decades. Consumer interest has been energized by many diet-health relationships that, in some cases, have been well documented. Such interest and the expanding knowledge base has led to rapid growth of the use of fat-soluble vitamins in supplements and functional food products, increased fortification of food, the need to improve global food composition data banks, technology improvements in synthesis and food technological aspects, and increased need for accurate analytical methods both for scientific and regulatory use. Recent publication of the Dietary Reference Intakes (1-3) has added new perspectives on human requirements and diet planning. This chapter provides an overview of chemistry and nutrition of the fat-soluble vitamins.
