{
  "$schema": "https://foodadditiveindex.com/api/v1/schema.json",
  "id": "https://foodadditiveindex.com/additives/vitamin-b12",
  "slug": "vitamin-b12",
  "name": "Vitamin B12",
  "identifiers": {
    "e_number": null,
    "ins_number": null,
    "cas_number": "68-19-9",
    "inchikey": "FDJOLVPMNUYSCM-SYUKHSAKSA-L",
    "pubchem_cid": 165339223
  },
  "functional_class": null,
  "summary": "Vitamin B12 is the one vitamin that plants do not make, which is why it is the standard fortificant in plant drinks, cereals and nutritional yeast. The commercial form is bacterial and contains no animal material.",
  "derivation_summary": "Produced by bacterial fermentation, usually with Propionibacterium or Pseudomonas species. B12 in animal foods also originates from bacteria; the animal accumulates it rather than making it.",
  "regulatory_status": [
    {
      "jurisdiction": "US",
      "jurisdiction_name": "United States",
      "authority": "Food and Drug Administration",
      "status": "permitted",
      "status_label": "Permitted",
      "provision_count": 1,
      "provisions": [
        {
          "status": "permitted",
          "food_category": null,
          "max_level": null,
          "max_level_unit": null,
          "conditions": null,
          "effective_from": null,
          "citation": {
            "ref": "21 CFR 184.1945",
            "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/section-184.1945"
          },
          "source": "ecfr",
          "retrieved_at": "2026-09-07T18:25:51.549Z"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "jurisdiction": "CODEX",
      "jurisdiction_name": "Codex Alimentarius",
      "authority": "Codex Alimentarius Commission / JECFA",
      "status": "not_listed",
      "status_label": "Not listed",
      "note": "Does not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.",
      "provision_count": 0,
      "provisions": []
    }
  ],
  "names": [
    {
      "name": "68-19-9",
      "type": "cas",
      "source": "openfoodtox"
    },
    {
      "name": "5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolcyanocobalamide",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "openfoodtox"
    },
    {
      "name": "Anacobin",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "B 12, Vitamin",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "B12, Vitamin",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cobalamin",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "openfoodtox"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cobalamin (III)",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cobinamide, cyanide hydroxide, dihydrogen phosphate",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Coobalamed",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cyanocobalamin",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "openfoodtox"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Cynobal",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Distivit (B12 peptide)",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Factor II (vitamin B12)",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mecobalamin",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vatimin B12",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vitamin B 12",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "vitamin B-12",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vitamin B12",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "openfoodtox"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vitamin B12;Cyanocobalamin",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vitamine B12",
      "type": "common",
      "source": "pubchem"
    },
    {
      "name": "cobalt(3+);[(2R,3S,4R,5S)-5-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazol-1-yl)-4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)oxolan-3-yl] [(2R)-1-[3-[(1R,2R,3R,5Z,7S,10Z,12S,13S,15Z,17S,18S,19R)-2,13,18-tris(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)-7,12,17-tris(3-amino-3-oxopropyl)-3,5,8,8,13,15,18,19-octamethyl-2,7,12,17-tetrahydro-1H-corrin-24-id-3-yl]propanoylamino]propan-2-yl] phosphate;cyanide",
      "type": "iupac",
      "source": "openfoodtox"
    },
    {
      "name": "Vitamin B12",
      "type": "label",
      "source": "ecfr"
    }
  ],
  "hazard_reference_values": [],
  "sources": [
    {
      "key": "ecfr",
      "name": "Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21",
      "publisher": "U.S. Government Publishing Office / National Archives",
      "licence": "Public domain",
      "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-31/title-21.xml",
      "retrieved_at": "2026-09-07T18:25:51.549Z"
    }
  ],
  "citation_policy": "Cite as: Food Additive Index, \"Vitamin B12\", https://foodadditiveindex.com/additives/vitamin-b12. This site reports regulatory status and does not rate additives.",
  "generated_at": "2026-09-08T00:09:38.767Z"
}