Key Takeaways:
- LettUs Grow, in collaboration with the John Innes Centre, Quadram Institute, and University of Bristol, has demonstrated that pea shoots grown via Advanced Aeroponics can deliver the full recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin B12 in a single 15-gram serving.
- The fortification adds less than one penny per bag in production costs, making it commercially viable for growers seeking to enter the premium produce market.
- An estimated 6% of the UK population is deficient in B12, with a further 44% having insufficient levels, representing a significant public health opportunity.
- The research, published in Communications Biology, confirms the B12 content persists through cold storage and is bioavailable after simulated human digestion.
- LettUs Grow is in active discussions with growers and retailers to bring B12-fortified pea shoots to supermarket shelves in 2026.
LettUs Grow Completes Multi-Year Research Into B12-Fortified Salad Crops
LettUs Grow, a Bristol-based agricultural technology company, has announced the successful completion of a multi-year research project enabling the commercial-scale production of Vitamin B12-fortified pea shoots using its Advanced Aeroponics™ technology.
The project was conducted in collaboration with the John Innes Centre, the Quadram Institute, and the University of Bristol, with findings published in Communications Biology.
How Advanced Aeroponics Makes B12 Fortification Possible
LettUs Grow's patented ultrasonic aeroponic system delivers a nutrient-enriched mist directly to plant roots suspended in air. During an eight-day cultivation period, pea shoot plants absorbed cyanocobalamin — the most bioavailable form of Vitamin B12 — accumulating enough in their leaves to deliver the full RDA in a single 15-gram serving.
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