Scope for vitamin B deficiency redressal through microbial vitamins with reference to India and South Africa

Abstract

B vitamins are the most widely used supplements for women and children to maintain good health conditions. Vitamin B deficiency is prevalent in many countries including India and South Africa. Synthetic vitamins (such as folic acid) are administered orally to vulnerable groups to address the vitamin B deficiency. B vitamin-fortified foods have also been adopted as the mandate of the governments of India and South Africa. However, the policies have not been able to bring any sustainable solutions to vitamin B deficiency. This article describes the natural production of B vitamins by cultured microorganisms. Furthermore, this article describes the scope of microbial B vitamin availability in India and South Africa through dietary interventions (foods obtained from microbial processing/fermented food products). The article also elucidates the different fermented foods of India and South Africa and the increment of different B vitamins, namely riboflavin (vitamin B2), folate (vitamin B9), and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) during the fermentation. The technoeconomical feasibility and commercial aspects have been discussed in the article.