Determination of Substrate Dependent Enhancement of Vitamin B12 Synthesis during Mixed Culture Fermentation of Soybean, Bengal Gram and Rice with Microbial Species

Abstract

Since vitamin B12 is an exception to other vitamins being present only in animal foods, hence, it is an elusive nutrient for strict vegetarians. The aim of present study was enhancement of vitamin B12 synthesis by fermenting combination of substrates in presence of different microbial inoculates. Rhizopus was used as main fermenting microbe alone or in combination with either Pseudomonas or Lactobacillus or both. Vitamin B2, B6, B12 content was quantified indirectly by using second order derivative spectrophotometry at λmax=267nm for B2, λmax=309nm for B6, λmax=361nm for B12, combined with statistical analysis based on regression. The studies concluded that soyabean+ Bengal gram substrate combination and the mixed culture of Rhizopus+Pseudomonas+Lactobacillus was most suitable for B complex vitamin production by fermentation. The study is first of its kind where different substrate combinations have been used vis-a-vis different microbial mixed cultures for increased synthesis of elusive vitamin B12.