IMR Press / FBE / Volume 15 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.31083/j.fbe1502010
Open Access Original Research
Determination of Vitamin B12 and Folate Compounds in Commercially Available Edible Seaweed Products
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1 Division of Applied Bioresource Chemistry, The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Tottori University, 680-8553 Tottori, Japan
2 Department of Agricultural Science, Graduate School of Sustainability Science, Tottori University, 680-8553 Tottori, Japan
3 Department of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, 680-8553 Tottori, Japan
*Correspondence: watanabe@tottori-u.ac.jp (Fumio Watanabe)
Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed) 2023, 15(2), 10; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.fbe1502010
Submitted: 28 December 2022 | Revised: 30 January 2023 | Accepted: 22 February 2023 | Published: 5 May 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seaweed Applications in Food and Biotechnology)
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Information on the contents of both vitamin B12 and folate in edible seaweeds is limited, of which deficiencies disrupt methionine biosynthesis to accumulate homocysteine as a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. Methods: Both vitamins were determined in commercially available edible seaweed products using high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: Dried purple laver (Neopyropia yezoensis) products contain higher levels of vitamin B12 (approximately 30–60 μg/100 g dry weight) and folate compounds (approximately 880–1300 μg/100 g dry weight) than other seaweed products, such as kombu (Saccharina japonica), hijiki (Sargassum fusiformis), and wakame (Undaria pinnatifida). 5-methyltetrahydrofolate was the major folate compound in purple laver products. 5-formyltetrahydrofolate was found at a moderate level, whereas tetrahydrofolate, 5,10-metenyltetrahydrofolate, 10-formyltetrahydrofolate, and folic acid were found to be minor folate compounds. Conclusions: These findings suggest that dried purple laver (nori) products are suitable sources of vitamin B12 and folate compounds for humans, especially vegetarians.

Keywords
edible seaweeds
folates
nutrients
purple laver
vitamin B12
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