• Fermenta Biotech has signed an exclusive license agreement with Vellore Institute of Technology to commercialize a process that raises vitamin B12 levels inside fermented foods during fermentation, rather than adding B12 to the finished product.
• Laboratory work showed roughly 80 percent retention of the enhanced B12 levels after cooking. The technology is covered by Indian Patent Application No. 202441015300.

Fermenta Biotech, an Indian manufacturer of APIs, intermediates and nutritional premixes, has signed an exclusive license agreement with Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) covering a natural in-situ vitamin B12 fortification technology for fermented foods. The agreement was announced on September 9 and gives Fermenta commercialization rights to a process developed at VIT’s Centre for BioSeparation Technology in Vellore, India.

The technology was developed by Dr. Krishnan Venkataraman and his team, and is covered under Indian Patent Application No. 202441015300. It uses selected nutrients and cofactors during fermentation to increase B12 formation within the food matrix itself. The developers say it can be integrated into existing food fermentation processes without substantial changes to production methods, though that has yet to be demonstrated at commercial scale.

Laboratory studies showed approximately 80 percent retention of the enhanced B12 levels after cooking, which the parties say indicates applicability to foods that are fermented and then cooked. No data has been published on final B12 concentrations achievable in specific food products.

The next phase covers application development, nutritional validation, measurement of final B12 concentrations, regulatory evaluation and the development of commercial formats. Fermenta says the potential applications span FMCG, food and nutrition, nutraceutical and health categories, and that it intends to use its contract manufacturing and premix capabilities to scale the process into fortified food solutions. No timeline or investment figure was disclosed.

“Fermenta’s collaboration with VIT Vellore brings together scientific depth and industrial capability with a shared purpose: to make nutrition more meaningful, relevant and accessible,” said Prashant Nagre, Managing Director of Fermenta Biotech. “This technology opens a differentiated route to Vitamin B12 enrichment and extends Fermenta’s food fortification capabilities beyond customised vitamin and mineral premixes.” B12 deficiency is most common among vegetarian and vegan populations, where natural dietary sources are limited.