A research team has cracked one of nutrition's toughest problems: delivering vitamin B12 to people who don't eat meat or dairy, without expensive supplements or pills. Scientists from the John Innes Centre, the Quadram Institute, the University of Bristol, and LettUs Grow used aeroponic technology to grow pea shoots packed with vitamin B12, achieving the recommended daily allowance in a single 15-gram serving .

Why Is Vitamin B12 Such a Challenge for Plant-Based Diets?

Vitamin B12 is unlike other nutrients. Plants don't produce it naturally; only bacteria do. This means the vitamin exists almost exclusively in animal-based foods like fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and dairy products. For people following vegetarian or vegan diets, getting enough B12 without supplements has been a persistent challenge .

The stakes are significant. Around 6% of the UK population is B12 deficient, and another 44% may have insufficient levels. Globally, B12 insufficiency is common, particularly in populations consuming low amounts of animal-derived foods and in older adults. Deficiency symptoms include anemia, muscle weakness, and psychological, cognitive, and neurological problems .

The traditional solution has been tablet-based supplements, but they come with drawbacks. People forget to take them, they're less effective without food, and many prefer to get nutrients from whole foods rather than pills. The real barrier, however, has been cost. Vitamin B12 is the most structurally complex nutrient known, requiring vast quantities of bacteria to produce. It costs up to £20,000 per kilogram, roughly one-third the price of gold. Around 90% of the world's B12 supply is currently produced in China .

How Does Growing B12 in Pea Shoots Actually Work?

The research team used aeroponic technology, a method that delivers nutrients as a fine mist directly to plant roots. During an eight-day cultivation period, pea shoot roots were supplied with cyanocobalamin, the most widely available and bioavailable form of B12. A thin film of nutrients forms on the roots, and the vitamin is absorbed and transported throughout the plant's system. The harvested plants accumulated more than the quantity required to deliver the recommended daily allowance within 15 grams of plant material .

The beauty of this approach is precision and efficiency. The aeroponic method enables exact control over the application of expensive source vitamins, improving efficiency and reducing cost for commercial partners and consumers. The team estimates the additional cost of adding B12 to bags of pea shoots could be less than one penny per unit .

Simulated human digestion experiments carried out at the Quadram Institute confirmed that the fortified pea shoots are accessible to digestion, meaning the vital nutrient will likely be passed into the bloodstream of those eating them. The team also found that the pea shoots maintained their shelf-life and the B12 content persisted through an extended period of cold storage, elements essential for the crop to succeed commercially .

How to Incorporate Fortified Pea Shoots Into Your Diet

• Raw in salads: Add fresh pea shoots to green salads, grain bowls, or Buddha bowls for a nutrient-dense crunch and mild, slightly sweet flavor.
• In sandwiches and wraps: Layer pea shoots into sandwiches, wraps, or tacos as a fresh, crunchy alternative to lettuce.
• Blended into smoothies: Mix pea shoots into green smoothies with fruits and plant-based milk for a B12 boost without altering the taste significantly.
• As a garnish: Sprinkle pea shoots on soups, stir-fries, or roasted vegetables just before serving to add texture and nutrition.
• In juices: Include pea shoots in fresh vegetable juices alongside other greens and vegetables for a concentrated nutrient delivery.

"This novel fortification method can be done at extremely low cost to growers as a way of providing consumers with a cost-effective way of supplementing their diet with Vitamin B12 in a form that their body can use," explained Professor Antony Dodd, group leader at the John Innes Centre.

Professor Antony Dodd, Group Leader at the John Innes Centre

The research addresses a broader issue called "hidden hunger," where people receive enough calories but not the right mix of nutrients to maintain good health. This term also applies to nutritional deficiencies that may occur in people taking appetite-suppressing drugs. By making B12 available through whole foods rather than supplements, the fortified pea shoots offer a practical solution to this widespread problem .

The team is now investigating commercial routes to market and adapting the technique for use in both vertical farms and horticultural glasshouses. The research, published in Communications Biology, offers a commercially viable approach for dietary supplementation of vitamin and nutrient intake predicted to work not only in pea shoots but in other rapid-cycling salad crops grown in indoor farming environments .

"The beauty of this work is how it marries high tech and low tech in such a cost-effective way. Pea shoots are literal sponges for B12, while vertical farms provide a controllable environment in which we can tailor its uptake by the plants," noted Dr. Bethany Eldridge, first author of the study.

Dr. Bethany Eldridge, First Author of the Study

This breakthrough has significant implications for global nutrition. Vitamin B12 deficiency is often framed solely as a concern for people following vegetarian or vegan diets, but the reality is far broader. Developing practical ways to incorporate B12 into everyday foods offers an exciting route to improve nutritional resilience across diverse populations, from older adults to people in regions with limited access to animal-based foods .

What makes this innovation particularly exciting is its scalability and affordability. Unlike expensive supplements or fortified foods that require complex manufacturing processes, fortified pea shoots can be grown in controlled indoor environments at minimal additional cost. As vertical farming technology continues to expand globally, this method could become a standard way for people to meet their B12 needs through whole food sources rather than relying on pills or animal products.