Orange Juice Fortified With Folic Acid

The need for folic acid in your diet, especially in women of child-bearing age, has been emphasized over the years by the March of Dimes in its attempts to help prevent neural tube birth defects. Many foods have been fortified with folic acid in an attempt to bring more to the average American's diet. Oranges and the juice from them, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, are the number one fruit consumed in the United States. Orange juice is not fortified with folic acid because it is one of the higher dietary suppliers of natural folate.

Folic Acid and Folate

You may hear the words folic acid and folate intermixed. While they are different, they are also the same B vitamin. Folic acid is a synthetic version of folate made in a laboratory, and is used to supplement foods in order to fortify their folate levels. Folate is the naturally occurring B vitamin found in foods. According to the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board, females between the ages of 14 and 50 should receive 800 mcg per day of folic acid or folate through diet or supplements. Men 14 years of age and older and women over 50 should receive 400 mcg per day.

Folic Acid and Pregnancy

Folate is essential to help tissues and cells grow and work. During pregnancy, folate is essential for the growth and development of the neural tube in infants. This is the part of the fetus that grows and develops into the brain and spinal cord. If it does not grow and close as it should, a neural tube birth defect can occur.

Orange Juice

Orange juice does not need to be fortified with folic acid because it naturally contains large amounts of folate. According to the USDA Nutrient Database, a one-cup serving of fresh orange juice contains 122 calories and 74 mcg of folate. Drinking orange juice from concentrate increases the folate content. A one-cup serving of unsweetened orange juice concentrate diluted with the appropriate amount of water contains 112 calories and 110 mcg of folate.

Folic Acid Fortified

While orange juice is not fortified with folic acid, many other foods are fortified. According to Baylor College of Medicine, common foods such as breads, pastas, rice and ready-to-eat cereals are fortified with folic acid. They state that the average slice of bread fortified with folic acid contains 40 mcg and the average cereal can contain between 100 and 400 mcg of folic acid.