Menu
Identifying vitamin B12 concentration in Uruguayan milk
LATU, Latitud—its R&D foundation—the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and the Northern Littoral Regional University Center of the University of the Republic (Udelar) have launched a project to generate the first national values for vitamin B12 levels in milk produced in Uruguay.
Vitamin B12 is a key micronutrient for human health. Its deficiency can lead to megaloblastic anemia and neurological disorders, and is especially relevant for older adults, pregnant women, infants, and people following vegetarian or vegan diets.
Bovine milk is an important source of this vitamin, but its concentration varies and depends on both production factors and industrial processing. In Uruguay, there are currently no official data on B12 levels in commercial dairies, which limits knowledge and the value proposition of milk and its derivatives.
This year, the interinstitutional team began investigating the potential of Uruguayan milk as a source of vitamin B12 and the effect of processing and storage on its stability in dairy products. The initiative takes a comprehensive view of the dairy value chain, aiming to provide scientific evidence that strengthens the sector’s competitiveness and contributes to public health.
Project launch
In an initial stage, the goal is to determine vitamin B12 concentration in milk produced on commercial farms in the country by studying possible associations between dairy cow feeding and variation of B12 levels in milk.
Study design:
- Sixteen dairy farms will be surveyed, divided into two contrasting groups: eight with high pasture inclusion and eight with low pasture inclusion in the cows’ diet.
- To minimize other sources of variation, animals of the same breed and with similar calving seasons will be selected.
- On each farm, three samplings per season will be carried out at two key times of the year: autumn and spring.
- Samples will be taken from bulk tank milk and from the feeds that make up the diet (pastures and supplements).
- Milk analyses will include vitamin B12 concentration, chemical composition (fat, protein, lactose), and somatic cell count.
- Feed analyses will include dry matter, protein, fiber, ash, ether extract, and cobalt—the mineral essential for vitamin B12 synthesis in ruminants.
- Information will be collected on herd size, milk production, and the detailed structure of the diet on each farm.
Expected results and impact
At the end of the project, the first dataset on vitamin B12 levels in milk produced in Uruguay is expected—an innovative contribution for the region. Among the findings, the team aims to gather evidence on the influence of feeding—and particularly pasture inclusion—on the concentration of this vitamin.
By studying these data, the team also seeks to identify associations between production factors and the nutritional quality of milk, providing insight into the relationship between pasture proportion in commercial dairy diets and vitamin B12 levels in milk.
The results will help determine the value of Uruguayan dairy products in increasingly demanding markets, supporting their positioning as foods with high nutritional value. An additional impact on public health is anticipated by reinforcing milk’s role as a key source of vitamin B12.
Next steps
Once the field stage is complete, the project will advance to studying the effect of industrial processing and storage on vitamin B12 stability in different dairy products.
Going forward, Latitud will continue to communicate progress and results, reaffirming its commitment to research, development, and applied innovation for the country’s strategic production chains.
