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. SephadexTM 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.