People eating a plant-based diet are recommended supplements, including B12, in order to fill some key nutritional gaps. A company in the US claims to have unearthed a natural plant-based source of vitamin B12 in its water lentil, or duckweed, crop.

Rick Polito | Dec 18, 2019 Lentein, derived from the duckweed plant, was already an impressive nutrient-dense plant-based protein source rich in amino acids and omega-3s. In addition, duckweed contains abundant antioxidants including polyphenols, and flavonoids like catechins. Only one published study has measured the amount of vitamin B12 in duckweed (1). B12 is naturally found in animal products including milk, cheese and eggs. Duckweed Benefits : Recent Studies In this study, male subjects consumed a cutlet made from duckweed that reportedly contained 2.81 micrograms of vitamin B12 per serving, which is just a little bit more than the RDA. However, the fact that duckweed has naturally occurring vitamin B12 in bioactive forms makes the plant “a game-changer,” says Geoff Palmer, founder of Clean Machine, a sports nutrition company that uses lentein in its protein powder.

Nutritional Value of the Duckweed Species of the Genus Wolffia (Lemnaceae) as Human Food. This flowering duckweed water plant was already known to be nutrient dense, but the surprising discovery of its vitamin B12 content is attracting industry attention. The plant is a good source of dietary fiber and contains minerals like zinc and iron. Wolffia globosa is an aquatic, edible duckweed, the smallest plant on earth, and it offers all nine EAAs, dietary fibers, polyphenols, iron, zinc and B12 vitamin. This work was designed to evaluate Mankai (a newly developed high-protein strain of W. globosa) as an optional bioavailable source of EAAs for humans (primary outcome), and of further nutrients such as vitamin B12, in comparison to well … A company in the US claims to have unearthed a natural plant-based source of vitamin B12 in its water lentil, or duckweed, crop. Appenroth 1 *, K. Sowjanya Sree 2, Manuela Bog 3, Josef Ecker 4, Claudine Seeliger 4, Volker Böhm 5,6, Stefan Lorkowski 5,6, Katrin Sommer 7, Walter Vetter 7, Karla Tolzin-Banasch 8, Rita Kirmse 8, Matthias Leiterer 8, Christine Dawczynski 5,6, Gerhard Liebisch 9 and Gerhard Jahreis 5,6. Nutritional Value of the Duckweed Species of the Genus Wolffia (Lemnaceae) as Human Food. B12 is naturally found in animal products including milk, cheese and eggs. Duckweed is a good source of vitamin A and the B-complex vitamins and is a unique plant source of vitamin B12.