Vitamin B12 Deficiency - Fermented Foods and Unconventional Bacterial Sources

Fermented Foods and Unconventional Bacterial Sources

Since B₁₂ is produced by bacteria, it is possible that it can be obtained in some bacterially fermented foods such as traditional Korean foods. However, this has not yet be rigorously proven.

Certain makers of kombucha cultured tea, such as GT's Kombucha, list vitamin B₁₂ as naturally present in their product. One brand purports to contain 20 percent of the Daily Value of B₁₂ in a single bottle, making kombucha a potential "high" food source of B₁₂. Because kombucha is produced by a symbiosis between yeast and bacteria, the possibility that kombucha contains B₁₂ does not contradict current knowledge. But no scientific studies have yet been published confirming the fact, nor whether the B₁₂ in kombucha is the biologically active B₁₂.

A Japanese fermented black tea known as Batabata-cha has been found to contain biologically active B₁₂. Unlike kombucha which is made by fermenting already prepared tea, Batabata-cha is fermented while still in the tea leaf state.

Unconventional natural sources of B₁₂ also exist, but their utility as food sources of B₁₂ are doubtful. For example, plants pulled from the ground and not washed scrupulously may contain remnants of B₁₂ from the bacteria present in the surrounding soil. B₁₂ is also found in lakes if the water has not been sanitized. Certain insects such as termites contain B₁₂ produced by their gut bacteria, in a way analogous to ruminant animals. The human intestinal tract itself may contain B₁₂ producing bacteria in the small intestine, but it is unclear whether sufficient amounts of the vitamin could be produced to meet nutritional needs.