Vitamin B12, only found naturally in animal-based foods, is essential for brain functions and various chemical reactions in the human body. Insufficient vitamin B12 leads to vitamin B12 deficiency, common among strict vegetarians due to their limited intake of animal-based foods. Vitamin B12 deficiency is also found in pregnant, lactating mothers, and some vulnerable age groups. Global reports have shown vitamin B12 deficiency among vegetarians was approximately 62%, while 25 – 86%, 21 – 41%, and 11 – 90% were evaluated in pregnant women, children, adolescents, and the elderly, respectively. Therefore, the issue needs to be taken seriously to reduce the number of people suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency through intervention (treatment) or fortifying food with vitamins. Various sources of vitamin B12 can be used for treatments, such as cyanocobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, and methylcobalamin. Some exploration has been carried out to obtain sources of vitamin B12, either by extraction and purification from animals or chemical synthetics.
The natural availability of vitamin B12 has invited many scientists to conduct research. They reported that the vitamin was found in many types of animals, bacteria, and macroalgae, including seaweed. In recent years, there has been extensive extraction of vitamin B12 in content-rich seaweeds, particularly the species Ulva lactuca. This extract can certainly be further utilized as a food ingredient or fortifying substance in food to overcome vitamin deficiency. There are differences in the activity of vitamin B12 depending on the source of the original species, animals, bacteria or seaweed. The difference is due to the position of the functional group or chirality, which impacts the binding affinity of the active group of the compound or ligand at the capture point. For this reason, it is necessary to standardize the extraction product to become a drug material or raw material that meets the standard of acceptance in compendial.
Wahlstrom et al. stated that Ulva species of seaweed, especially U. lactuca , are widely distributed in tropical waters and are known for their high nutritional value. The main content of polysaccharides, protein, vitamins, and some microelements. Furthermore, U. lactuca exhibits antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities. Residents of several countries have traditionally added seaweed to their diet to overcome vitamin B12 deficiency. A daily intake of 1.4 g/day of U. lactuca is sufficient to meet the daily requirement of vitamin B12.
Furthermore, in an effort to obtain seaweed extract with high vitamin B12 content and several important metabolite elements, an adequate extraction method is needed. Seaweed cultivation techniques, harvesting age, and drying methods greatly affect the availability of these secondary metabolites. Likewise, the extraction and purification methods require optimal conditions to extract the active components so that the minimum standard of raw materials can be achieved. The optimal extraction method has been obtained by applying the Central Composite Design to obtain high vitamin B12 in standardized seaweed extracts.
Author: Junaidi Khotib
Journal link: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/14/4459/htm
Title: Optimisation of Vitamin B12 Extraction from Green Edible Seaweed (Ulva lactuca) by Applying the Central Composite Design
