Choline Citrate

Choline was first isolated from ox bile (the Greek word is chole) by Andreas Strecker in 1862 and chemically synthesized in 1866. To fulfill the need of Choline in food and feed, Choline is synthesized as a natural identical product meeting several pharmacopoeia.But till mid 20th century people were not aware of the importance of enough Choline in the diet. In 1998 choline was classified as an essential nutrient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine (U.S.A.) and Adequate Intakes (AI) have been established.
Choline is a product becoming more and more in the focus as a food additive or as one of the components of pharmaceutical products. Therefore it is sometimes indicated as a nutraceutical (nutrition+pharmaceutical).
Choline is not truly a vitamin, because some mammals are able to synthesize Choline in the body. Neonates are not: they have a lack of Choline. Therefore the European Union obliged the use of Choline in milk replacers for babies!