Water lentils are a natural plant source of vitamin B12, says Parabel USA Inc.

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Independent third-party laboratory testing has confirmed that the water lentil crop and branded plant-based protein ingredient Lentein, from Parabel USA Inc. (Vero Beach, FL), contains the natural bioactive forms of vitamin B12: adenosylcobalamin, methycobalamin. Tests showed that the water lentil, commonly called duckweed, contains approximately 750% of the U.S. recommended daily value of bioactive vitamin B12 (per 100 grams of dry plant).

This makes Lentein the first natural plant source of vitamin B12, says Parabel, because adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin are typically found in meats and dairy products. The most common form of supplemental B12 is also synthetic.

"I have reviewed the testing and I feel confident that the Parabel team has identified bioactive Vitamin B12 in their products. This could be a game changing event for the plant-based food community as it allows one to consume bioactive, natural, whole food plant-sourced B12,” said Geoff Palmer, CEO and owner of Clean Machine, a natural and plant-based sports and nutrition supplement company, in a press release. Clean Machine was the first company to market Lentein in a finished product.

"Parabel's hydroponic systems represent a scalable and potentially revolutionary platform to produce highly nutritious plant foods that contain bioactive vitamin B12 forms,” added Matthew Van Ert, PhD, Parabel's chief scientific officer. “Along with partners, we will begin conducting bioavailability studies to determine the effectiveness of water lentils as a natural, plant-based solution to address vitamin B12 deficiencies."