Vitamin B₁₂ Encapsulation in Soymilk Powder and Analyzing the Impact of Spray-Drying Conditions on Powder Quality

As a future dietary trend, a significant portion of the population is gravitating towards a vegan diet. This trend is being driven by increasing awareness of the health advantages of a plant-based diet. While vitamin B₁₂, an essential element for maintaining the vital functions of the body, is rarely present in plant-based diets, non-genetically modified high-oleic (non-GMO-HO) soybeans are a recently developed sustainable variety of soybean containing a high proportion of oleic acid (75–80%). The current study employed HO soymilk to encapsulate the vitamin B₁₂ (1.2, 2.4, and 3.6 mg) by measuring the encapsulation efficiency using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS-MS). A comparative study of vitamin B₁₂ retention in liquid medium (HO soymilk) and solid medium (HO soymilk powder) was conducted. Additionally, powder characterization was performed by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential light scattering (DLS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DCS) to measure the particle size, shape, distribution, and thermal properties. Followed by studying, the in vitro release profile of encapsulated powder by creating simulating digestion mediums such as salivary, gastric, and intestinal fluid. Nutrition profiles of HO soybean and soymilk powder were analyzed to measure the change in nutritional profile after the spray-drying process. Results showed the encapsulation efficiency of vitamin B₁₂ ranged from 48.09 ± 57.93%, with high powder yield (76.16 to 85.07%), and microscopic particle size (0.369 to 8.5 µm) with improved nutritional profile. Encapsulated vitamin B₁₂ could be used for various purposes, including developing fortified beverages, infant formulations, and dietary supplements. Therefore, this study lays the foundation for opening opportunities and further commercializing vitamin B₁₂ fortified powder.

Graphical demonstration of vitamin B₁₂ encapsulated in soymilk and its physiochemical characteristics and in vitro release study