Enriching lettuce with Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is not usually produced by plants, so people on a vegan diet need to use artificial Vitamin B12 supplements. Lettuce can take Vitamin B12 up when it is supplied with the nutrient solution. In this project there are multiple topics to work on

A) Establishing a relationship between amount of Vit B12 fed to the plant and amount stored in the plant and see if the Vit B12 that is taken up remains available or is broken down over time (in the growing plant).
B) How to supply Vitamin B12 to the plant for maximum uptake (e.g. foliar spray vs. supply via the roots)?
C) What is the best timepoint of Vitamin B12 application (at the beginning/ end of the growing cycle, continuous feeding throughout the growth period)?
D) How long is Vitamin B12 available in the plant after harvest? Which storage conditions maintain B12 levels in the plant tissue the longest?
E) Does Vitamin B12 act as antioxidant and therefore “prepare” the plant to cope better with other stresses?

I welcome your own initiative, so if you have your own ideas what could be interesting to look at in this context, feel free to get in touch!

Used skills

• Compound extraction (collaboration with another group)
• Measuring plant growth and physiological parameters understanding of biochemical processes in the plant

Interested in doing a BSc or MSc thesis at HPP? Please contact the HPP student coordinator Katharina Hanika.