Efficiently Synthesizes Vitamin B12 for Higher Yields at Lower-Cost Commercial Production
This genetically modified strain of bacteria dramatically increases the amount of vitamin B12 produced by the Propionibacterium. Commercial production of vitamin B12 supplements commonly uses Propionibacterium, and this genetically modified strain can increase vitamin B12 yields and reduce production costs. In humans, vitamin B12 is a critical micronutrient needed to produce red blood cells, maintain healthy nerve cells, and create DNA. More than 12 percent of people over 60 take a dedicated vitamin B12 supplement, and 29 to 39.4 percent of people of any age take a multi-vitamin that includes B12. Despite the common use of vitamin B12 supplements, commercial nutraceutical companies use only three groups of bacteria to produce the vitamin.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a genetically improved strain of Propionibacterium commonly used in commercial vitamin B12 production. This Propionibacterium strain produces higher yields of vitamin B12 than other strains currently in use and can reduce costs of commercial vitamin B12 production.
Application
Improved Propionibacterium strain that produces higher yields of vitamin B12 than other strains and can reduce costs of commercial vitamin B12 production
Advantages
- Modifies the expression of genes involved in vitamin B12 synthesis, dramatically increasing vitamin B12 yields
- Increases vitamin B12 yields during bacterial fermentation, which should decrease the cost of production of this essential vitamin
Technology
This genetically modified strain of Propionibacterium, UF1, efficiently synthesizes vitamin B12 and produces higher yields of the vitamin than other bacterium strains. The UF1 bacterium strain contains a mutation that decreases the activity of the vitamin B12 riboswitch, causing it to overproduce vitamin B12, thus increasing vitamin B12 yields for more-efficient commercial production.
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