Engineered Spirulina Produces Active Vitamin B12 at Levels Matching Beef

Researchers have found a way to grow Spirulina, a blue-green algae, that produces biologically active vitamin B12 at levels comparable to beef — the first time this has been reported in Spirulina, according to a study published in the journal Discover Food. The work was led by Dr. Asaf Tzachor of Reichman University in Israel, with researchers from Iceland, Denmark and Austria.

More than a billion people worldwide are estimated to have low levels of vitamin B12, which is needed for red blood cell formation and normal nervous system function; the recommended intake is 2.4 micrograms a day. Meat and dairy are important dietary sources, but producing them at scale carries environmental costs. Spirulina has been promoted as a more sustainable alternative, but most of the B12 in ordinary Spirulina is a form called pseudo-vitamin B12, which is chemically similar to the vitamin humans need but is not usable by the body.

Using a biotechnology platform built by VAXA Technologies in Iceland, the researchers changed the light conditions the algae grew under, a technique they call photonic management. The resulting carbon-neutral Spirulina biomass contained 1.64 micrograms of active vitamin B12 per 100 grams, compared with 0.7 to 1.5 micrograms per 100 grams in beef. The biomass also contained other compounds associated with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties.

The researchers modeled a scenario in which electricity currently used by heavy industry in Iceland is redirected to Spirulina production; at that scale, they estimate the biomass could supply the recommended vitamin B12 intake for more than 13.8 million children aged one to three each year. More ambitious scenarios could meet the recommended intake for more than 26.5 million children aged one to three and more than 50 million children aged zero to six months, the researchers said, though these figures are projections based on possible expansion rather than current production levels.