Spray drying vitamin B12: Innovations in encapsulation for functional foods

Abstract

Background

Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency remains a global health concern, especially in low- and middle-income regions with limited access to nutrient-rich foods. As a key nutrient for neurological and physical health, its deficiency can lead to fatigue, cognitive decline, and mood disorders.

Scope and approach

This review focuses on the chemical forms of vitamin B₁₂, highlighting cyanocobalamin as the most used in food applications. It examines spray drying as a key encapsulation strategy to enhance B₁₂ stability and bioavailability in fortified foods, addressing environmental stressors and food matrix interactions. The role of encapsulating agents on process efficiency and release profile is also discussed, with an emphasis on spray drying's scalability and relevance for at-risk populations.

Key findings and conclusions

Vitamin B₁₂'s complex structure, centered on a cobalt ion within a corrinoid ring, is essential for its function yet makes it susceptible to degradation during processing and storage. Studies have focused on spray drying with polysaccharide-based encapsulants, including gum Arabic, inulin, maltodextrin, alginate, and modified starches. These formulations have shown encapsulation efficiencies above 80 %, yields up to 85.1 %, depending on formulation and process conditions. Vitamin B₁₂ has been incorporated into food matrices such as tea, flour, sugar, fresh-cut salad, and dairy; however, the incorporation of spray-dried encapsulated forms has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, further studies are needed to evaluate the incorporation of spray-dried encapsulated vitamin B₁₂ into food matrices, including consumer acceptance, regulatory compliance, and in vivo release. These findings also suggest potential for using more bioactive but less stable and costlier vitamin B₁₂ forms in future formulations.