초록
<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>Sufficient intake of folate is critical worldwide due to low folate concentrations in daily diets. Folate supplementation in food is carried out with success in some countries, but recent data also indicate the importance of maintaining a suitable balance between folate and vitamin B12 intake due to their interdependent metabolisms.</P><P>In this study, a high folate producer <I>Lactobacillus plantarum</I> SM39 was cultured in combination with a vitamin B12 producer, <I>Propionibacterium freudenreichii</I> DF13. The co-culture process was optimized to produce high levels of both vitamins in a whey permeate medium supplemented with yeast extract (SWP). Addition of 5mg/L cobalt chloride, 15mg/L DMBI, and 10mg/L <I>p</I>ABA to SWP medium followed by a two-step fermentation under optimal conditions, i.e. three days anaerobic/four days aerobic, led to high vitamin B12 and folate yields, 751±353ng/mL and 8399±784ng/mL, respectively. Folate yields were more than 10-fold higher than maximum values reported for natural fermentations and comparable to levels recently achieved using a genetically optimized strain. The controlled addition of <I>p</I>ABA and cobalt offers the possibility to produce a vitamin supplement with a suitable balance of folate and vitamin B12 of 170–1. The fermented medium containing high levels of natural folate and vitamin B12 content could be used to fortify foods with natural vitamins or as a nutritional supplement.</P>