Why vitamin B12 matters A shortfall of this vitamin can trigger anemia, nerve damage, and developmental delays, and deficiency rates climb as high as 40 percent in Latin America, 70\u202fpercent in parts of Africa, and up to 80 percent in South Asia.<\/p>\n People who skip animal foods face the highest risk because plants do not make cobalamin. Supplements work, yet many communities lack steady access, and cost is sometimes a prohibitive factor.<\/p>\n Pseudo-B12 from Spirulina microalgae<\/p>\n Regular Spirulina mainly carries pseudo\u2011B12, a look\u2011alike molecule that our cells ignore. The Iceland project used tuned LED lighting to flip the alga\u2019s own genes toward making methylcobalamin, the active form that humans can absorb.<\/p>\n Laboratory assays put the new strain\u2019s B12 at 1.64 micrograms per 100\u202fgrams of dry powder, which is comfortably above the 0.7\u20111.5\u202f\u00b5g\/100\u202fg window quoted for beef in the study. <\/p>\n More than 98\u202fpercent of that total was active B12, not pseudo, ending a long\u2011standing barrier for microalgae\u2011based nutrition.<\/p>\n The researchers call the product \u201cPhotosynthetically Controlled Spirulina,\u201d or PCS<\/a>. They achieved the upgrade without genetic modification, relying instead on light spectra that boost a native metabolic pathway.<\/p>\n Creating Spirulina with B-12 vitamins<\/p>\n Those pathways ran inside flat\u2011panel photobioreactor walls that were kept at about 88\u202f\u00b0F (31 \u00b0C), aerated by GEOTHERMAL carbon\u2011dioxide<\/a> and powered by Iceland\u2019s near\u2011total renewable electric grid. <\/p>\n The closed system blocks contamination and uses minimal freshwater, an important edge over open ponds.<\/p>\n PCS stayed carbon neutral because every kilowatt came from hydro or geothermal turbines, and harvested biomass trapped the same amount of carbon that the process emitted.<\/p>\n Besides B12, PCS in Spirulina microalgae delivers roughly 27\u202fgrams of protein and 0.03\u202fgrams of iron per 100\u202fgrams, a profile that tracks or beats lean steak. <\/p>\n USDA tables<\/a> show beef cuts can swing from 0.8\u202fto about\u202f4\u202fmicrograms of B12 per 100\u202fgrams, depending on the muscle and cooking method.<\/p>\n With vitamin B12 levels at 1.64 micrograms per 100\u202fgrams of dry powder, Spirulina is also a comparable source of this essential vitamin. <\/p>\n In addition, it is light in fat, contains no cholesterol, and is naturally salt free, making it easier to incorporate into heart-friendly diets.<\/p>\n \u201cThe findings demonstrate that photosynthetically controlled Spirulina can produce desirable levels of active vitamin\u202fB12, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional animal\u2011source foods,\u201d confirmed Dr. Tzachor.<\/p>\n Beef production averages about 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of CO2<\/a>\u2011equivalent emissions for every kilogram of meat, the highest of any staple protein. <\/p>\n Because PCS cultivation is powered by renewables, swapping a kilogram of steak for an equal mass of algae could erase more than 60 kilograms (130\u202fpounds) of greenhouse gas from the menu.<\/p>\n The paper sketches a country\u2011wide scale\u2011up: diverting electricity that is now used by heavy industry could let Iceland ship 278\u202fthousand tons of PCS a year, enough active B12 to meet the daily needs of nearly 14\u202fmillion toddlers. <\/p>\n Even a smaller rollout could plug critical gaps in areas where deficiency and childhood stunting overlap.<\/p>\n PCS ships as a shelf\u2011stable powder that blends into flour, beverages, or nutrition bars, trimming cold\u2011chain costs that hinder meat or milk aid. Because it is an autotroph, it sidesteps the feed, land, and water burdens that shadow livestock.<\/p>\n B12-rich Spirulina and food policy<\/p>\n PCS could also shift how governments approach f<\/strong>ood security and malnutrition<\/a>. Because the production system is modular and closed-loop, it can be deployed in regions with poor soil, unreliable rainfall, or limited farmland. <\/p>\n That opens the door to building local microalgae facilities in parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, where vitamin B12<\/a> deficiency is most severe.<\/p>\n If validated at scale, PCS could also influence agricultural subsidies and international food aid. <\/p>\n Nations might begin to classify Spirulina as a strategic crop, eligible for public investment or included in procurement plans for schools, hospitals, and humanitarian agencies.<\/p>\n This would mark a rare crossover between biotech innovation and public nutrition policy.<\/p>\n Clinical teams still have to confirm how well humans absorb the algae\u2011bound vitamin<\/a> compared with pills or steak. <\/p>\n Trials are being designed to track blood markers, nerve function, and taste acceptance across a two\u2011year window.<\/p>\n Engineers also need to soften PCS\u2019s distinctive color and aroma for picky eaters, especially children. Early tests suggest microencapsulation or partial extraction can hide the hue without stripping the nutrients.<\/p>\n The study is published in Discover Food<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.\u00a0<\/p>\n Check us out on EarthSnap<\/a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls<\/a> and Earth.com.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A team working with a type of blue-green microalgae called Spirulina, a very common health supplement powder, managed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[105,4434,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-219284","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114756771744812310","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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