BIOVIT Vitamin B12
Natural source: Shiitake Mushroom
Plant-based Vitamin B12 from organic shiitake mushroom
Vitamin B12 is one of the most difficult nutrients to source naturally outside animal products, and the single biggest nutritional gap in vegan and plant-based ranges.
BIOVIT's extract from organically cultivated shiitake mushroom (BI085) delivers 100 mg of bioactive cobalamin per 100g, at an inclusion rate of just 0.0004 g per portion for a "Source of" claim.
Organic certified, GB and EU compliant, and a direct one-to-one replacement for synthetic cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin across plant-based dairy, supplements, meat alternatives, and energy formulations.
Specified by leading UK manufacturers, with samples dispatched within a week and reformulation support included.
Technical Specification
Full technical data for product code BI085. For tailored documentation or a sample, get in touch with the team.
From plant-based dairy to meat replacements
B12 is the single most-watched nutrient in the vegan and plant-based category, where shoppers actively scan for natural sources rather than synthetic cyanocobalamin. Three categories where shiitake-derived B12 closes the biggest commercial gap.
Plant-based dairy
The flagship application. B12 fortification is the unspoken benchmark in oat, soy, and almond milks targeting cow's milk parity. A shiitake declaration reads as food, not fortifier, on a category increasingly defined by clean-label expectations.
Meat Replacements
Alongside Iron and Zinc, B12 is one of the three priority nutrients in plant-based meat fortification. Shiitake-derived B12 sidesteps the synthetic cyanocobalamin label that shoppers in this category increasingly notice and avoid.
Supplements
Capsules, tablets, and powders across vegan, energy, women's health, and broad-spectrum positioning. The negligible 0.0004 g inclusion rate leaves room for stacking with Folate, Iron, and B6 in fatigue and energy-focused blends.
See how it works in your formulation
Samples dispatched within a week. Reformulation support included.
Frequently asked questions
Questions formulators ask when specifying shiitake-derived Vitamin B12, covering the vegan compliance gap, bioavailability, and EFSA claim coverage.
Vitamin B12 was one of eight micronutrients measured in BIOVIT's 30-day human intervention trial at Swansea University (61 volunteers, UKRI-funded, led by Prof Richard Bracken). The trial confirmed equivalent bioavailability between the natural and synthetic groups across the nutrients measured, supporting the position that shiitake-derived B12 performs in line with synthetic cobalamin forms.
B12 is predominantly found in animal products, which makes it the single biggest nutritional gap in vegan and plant-based ranges. Shiitake mushroom is one of the only commercially viable plant-based sources of bioactive B12, addressing a category-defining problem that synthetic cyanocobalamin only partially solves on a clean-label level.
"Organic shiitake mushroom extract." A recognisable food declaration that reads far cleaner than "cyanocobalamin" or "methylcobalamin" on a label, particularly important in plant-based ranges built on natural-source positioning.
Yes. 100% plant-based, derived from organically cultivated shiitake, with the cobalamin in its bioactive form. Suitable for vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based products without compromise.
0.0004 g per portion for "Source of", 0.0008 g for "High in", one of the smallest inclusion rates in the BIOVIT portfolio. For a precise cost figure in your formulation, get in touch with the team.
Samples and commercial orders are dispatched within around a week of order confirmation, with full technical documentation included. The MOQ is 1 kg on standard powder format. Bespoke formats and pack sizes available on request.
Yes. Every wholesale order comes with full reformulation support from BIOVIT's Head of Nutrition, Eiméar Sutton RNutr MSc. That includes equivalence mapping against your incumbent cobalamin form, inclusion-rate modelling, and on-pack claim wording aligned to GB and EU regulation, at no extra cost.
Vitamin B12 contributes to the following EU-authorised health claims under EFSA Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006:
Normal function of the immune system
Normal energy-yielding metabolism
Normal functioning of the nervous system
Normal homocysteine metabolism
Normal psychological function
Normal red blood cell formationReduction of tiredness and fatigue
Has a role in the process of cell division
Reformulation support is included
Every BIOVIT wholesale order comes with full technical reformulation support at no extra cost, giving your NPD and technical teams direct access to a qualified nutritionist from brief to production.
Eiméar Sutton (RNutr MSc), our Head of Nutrition, leads the technical work on every account: equivalence mapping against your incumbent synthetic, inclusion-rate modelling, on-pack claim wording aligned to GB and EU regulation, and the small details that decide whether a synthetic-to-natural switch lands cleanly on the production line.
The result: shorter development cycles, fewer reformulation rounds, and a finished product your commercial team can stand behind.
