Q1:Which isomers are present in the nutrient? Is L or (6S) best? What about (6S)+(6R) or DL?

A: Methylfolate can be quickly manufactured as a material that has both the 6S and 6R isomers (or L and D respectively).

These are chemically referred to as chiral molecules which are a bit like your Left and Right hand (very similar but not the same). One is usually considered the“active”ingredient in a compound and the other is often considered“inactive”. It takes extra processing steps to get rid of the inactive isomer in biochemical development (this means more time, equipment, money, labor, and therefore cost). 

L is the same as 6S.

Be sure your methylfolate is 100% 6S isomer only–you do NOT want the inactive 6R isomer contaminating your methylfolate as it may block up any folate receptors needing the active compound and render them ineffectual.

Ask your methylfolate supplement company if they can show you a COAs detailing the exact amount of the 6R isomer (as tested) in their methylfolate (this should be considered an‘impurity’and should show up as less than 0.15%). 

Q2:What kind of salt molecule is the active L or (6S) isomer bound to?

A: There are two major salt molecules, calcium salt or glucosamine salt; others are magnesium salt, Levomefolate, which are fairly small in the marketplace. 

Q3: Why it’s important to use a patented protected L-Methylfolate?

A: First, a company is willing to apply for a patent for the company's products, indicating that they have 100% confidence in the quality and performance of the product and want to sell it on the market for a long time. Secondly, patents also need a lot of scientific data to support, and this has added a security guarantee for consumers. Especially for methylfolate, which is essential for health, we don’t need to risk.

Q4: Does Magnafolate infringe Merck’s Patent? If not, please explain.

A: No. Magnafolate is the C crystal and the patent number is US9150982B2. Metafolin is the 1 crystal and the patent number is US6958326.