UHPLC- and MS/MS-Mediated Analysis and Quantification of Postbiotic Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) from Propionibacterium freudenreichii

Vitamin B12 is one of the major nutritional sources that is involved in the functions such as cell regeneration and nerve functioning. People with cobalamin deficiency will need its supplement in order to maintain their biological functions. Therefore, many forms of synthetic vitamin supplements are produced, yet they are considered unsafe for human consumption. Thus, biological vitamin supplements are required, especially postbiotic products of microbes that are “Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)” are gaining importance. On such approach Propionibacterium freudenreichii is identified to be much efficient in producing vitamin B12 as its postbiotic compound. Moreover, the analysis and quantification of the vitamin produced and its usage are also important to avoid complications such as hypervitaminosis. Thus, this chapter in particular discusses about the method of collecting the postbiotic cobalamin from P. freudenreichii, its analysis and quantification using a recent method, Ultra High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC)-Tandem Mass Spectrometer (MS/MS).