Researchers unveil sustainable spirulina solution to vitamin B12 deficiency
Researchers have produced a form of Spirulina containing biologically active vitamin B12 at levels comparable to beef. By carefully controlling the light used to grow the algae, they overcame a major problem with conventional Spirulina, which mainly contains a form of B12 the human body cannot use. The carbon-neutral system could provide a more sustainable source of the essential vitamin.
Scientists have developed a method to cultivate Spirulina, a blue-green algae, that generates biologically active vitamin B12 at levels comparable to those found in beef. This discovery, led by Dr. Asaf Tzachor from Reichman University and researchers from Iceland, Denmark, and Austria, was published in the journal Discover Food.
Traditional Spirulina contains an inactive form of vitamin B12, which humans cannot effectively utilize. The breakthrough involves using advanced biotechnology and controlled light conditions to encourage the production of the bioactive form of the vitamin. The resulting Spirulina biomass contains 1.64 µg of active vitamin B12 per 100 grams, significantly higher than the 0.7-1.5 μg per 100 grams found in beef.
This sustainable alternative could address the global deficiency of vitamin B12, which affects over a billion people. The researchers estimate that expanding the production scale could provide enough vitamin B12 to meet the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for millions of children, potentially surpassing 13.8 million children aged 1-3.
Written by urgent.news from ScienceDaily's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
