Enhancing vitamin B ₁₂ content in co-fermented soy-milk via a Lotka Volterra model

Abstract

Abstract Soybean products are popular because of its taste, digestibility, and health benefits. However, soybean lacks vitamin, mainly the low water-soluble vitamin B 12 . This study investigated the effects of fermentation conditions on the synthesis of vitamin B 12 , production of metabolites, and growth of Lactobacillus reuteri and Propionibacterium shermainii in fermented soy-milk. A Lotka Volterra model was successfully employed to describe the competition relationship between the two microorganisms under various fermentation conditions. A quadratic function between the ratio of interaction coefficients and vitamin B 12 content was found. Higher vitamin B 12 in soy-milk can be produced when the ratio of interaction coefficients approach to one. Compared with other fermented soybean products, fermented soy-milk contains more acetate, ethanol, and propionic acid. This study successfully demonstrated a mathematical model to enhance soy-milk vitamin B 12 production.