Inactivation of Microbiological Activity of Crystalline Vitamin B 12 by Reducing Agents. ∗

Abstract

Summary and conclusion

When a solution of crystalline vit. B₁₂ was subjected to a series of reducing agents between pH 4 and 7, at which range this vitamin is stable, a marked loss of the microbiological activity occurred. This loss of microbiological activity can be attributed to the reducing power of the agents, but is not necessarily related to the disappearance of the intensity of the red color. Our preliminary data also demonstrate that the destruction of the microbiological activity was not accompanied by the destruction to an equal extent of the APF activity.

The authors are indebted to Dr. A. Langlykke of E. R. Squibb and Sons for some of the microbiological assays of vit. B₁₂.