Where does the B12 in vitamin supplements come from?

Question

I know that many animal products contain vitamin B12 and that it's very hard or even impossible to get enough from plant-based food. There are supplements which vegans should take.

But what are these B12 supplements made of? Are they actually vegan?

Riker · Accepted Answer

The B12 in supplements is made from bacteria and sourced from bacteria cultures. It is not from animal products.

However, some supplements can contain gelatin in the capsule, which you should look out for.

Streptomyces griseus, a bacterium once thought to be a yeast, was the commercial source of vitamin B12 for many years (8, 9). The bacteria Propionibacterium shermanii and Pseudomonas denitrificans have now replaced S. griseus (10). At least one company, Rhone Poulenc Biochimie of France, is using a genetically engineered microorganism to produce B12 (11).

(source)

Since bacteria are not animals, this should be vegan.

Also, if you don't consider this vegan, consider that eating bread made with yeast is more or less equivalent.

StackExchange What The Heck · Answer

The vegan society states the following:

In choosing to use fortified foods or B12 supplements, vegans are taking their B12 from the same source as every other animal on the planet - micro-organisms - without causing suffering to any sentient being or causing environmental damage.

Now, it's up to every person to decide for themselves whether or not they consider this ethical, but typically your average vegan will eat other microorganisms such as yeast.

Source: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/vitamins-minerals-and-nutrients/vitamin-b12-your-key-facts/what-every-vegan-should-know-about-vitamin-b12

Alexei · Answer

Artificial vitamin B12, also known as Cyanocobalamin is produced by bacterial fermentation, as indicated here.

Technically, bacteria are far from being considered animals, so this method should be vegan-safe:

Once regarded as plants constituting the class Schizomycetes, bacteria
  are now classified as prokaryotes. Unlike cells of animals and other
  eukaryotes, bacterial cells do not contain a nucleus and rarely
  harbour membrane-bound organelles.

Where does the B12 in vitamin supplements come from?

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