TLC-BIOAUTOGRAPHY ANALYSIS OF VITAMIN B₁₂ COMPOUND FROM THE SHORT-NECKED CLAM (RUDITAPES PHILIPPINARUM) EXTRACT USED AS A FLAVORING

Abstract

To determine whether certain shellfish extracts used as flavorings became excellent food sources of free vitamin B₁₂, their vitamin B₁₂ contents were assayed and characterized. Although vitamin B₁₂ contents of scallop and freshwater clam extracts were none and very low (0.1 μg/100 g), respectively, short-necked clam extract contained substantial amounts of vitamin B₁₂ (131.8 μg/100 g). A vitamin B₁₂ compound was purified and characterized with silica gel 60 TLC and a reversed-phase HPLC. The purified red-colored compound was identical to true vitamin B₁₂, but not to inactive corrinoid compounds. Sephadex^TM G-50 gel filtration experiments indicated that most of vitamin B₁₂ found in the short-necked clam extract was recovered in the free vitamin B₁₂ fractions. These results indicate that the short-necked clam extract would be a natural source of free vitamin B₁₂ for elderly persons with food-bound vitamin B₁₂ malabsorption.

Keywords:

• flavoring
• Ruditapes philippinarum
• shellfish
• short-necked clam
• vitamin B₁₂

Notes

ND, not detected.

*The values presented mean values from five independent experiments.

*Percentage against vitamin B₁₂ content of the shellfish extract without the treatment.

The values presented mean ± SD from five independent experiments.