Vitamin B12, primarily supplied as Cyanocobalamin, is a water-soluble cobalt-containing vitamin essential for DNA synthesis, red blood cell formation, and neurological chức năng. It is produced exclusively by microbial fermentation using specially selected bacterial strains and appears as a dark-red crystalline powder.
Vitamin B12 is the most chemically complex of all vitamins and is naturally found only in animal-derived foods, making thực phẩm bổ sungation critical for vegetarian and vegan populations. It được sử dụng rộng rãi in dietary thực phẩm bổ sungs, thực phẩm và đồ uống fortification, infant formula, and animal feed premixes. Its high potency means very small quantities are effective, with typical thực phẩm bổ sung doses measured in micrograms.