Vitamins (D3, B-group, ascorbic acid)

01Overview and value chain

Markers: [EC: FAMI-QS feed additive quality standard | OECD: Food systems | Regulator: FDA (US dietary supplements cGMP), EFSA (EU), NMPA (China)]

Vitamins — D3 (cholecalciferol), the B-group (riboflavin, cobalamin) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) — are produced industrially through a mix of direct microbial fermentation, multi-stage bioconversion and UV photochemistry, feeding animal feed premixes, food fortification and pharmaceutical/dietary supplement markets. China alone accounts for over 70% of global supply of ascorbic acid, B-group vitamins and vitamin D3 precursors, having replaced the classical chemical Reichstein process with a two-stage glucose fermentation route that cut both environmental impact and production cost by roughly 40%. DSM-Firmenich continues expanding its Humiome vitamin B2 platform, launching a microbiome-targeted riboflavin product with a two-layer coating designed to deliver more than 90% of the vitamin to the colon to support gut microbiome health, alongside a November 2024 multivitamin solution targeting healthy longevity among Japanese seniors. BASF markets Lutavit A/D3 1000/200 NXT, a combined vitamin A and D3 animal-nutrition premix in a fixed 5:1 ratio suitable across pig, poultry, ruminant, aquaculture and pet species, drawing on more than 50 years of vitamin manufacturing experience spanning oily vitamin products and microencapsulated spray-dried beadlets. In China, Northeast Pharmaceutical Group — one of the world’s three leading vitamin C suppliers — reported in March 2026 that its plants were running at full capacity, with vitamin C and piracetam output up nearly 15% year-on-year in the first two months of the year and core products passing multiple international customer audits.

The key directions of vitamin manufacturing are:

1. Two-stage vitamin C fermentation: bioconverting D-sorbitol to L-sorbose via Acetobacter suboxydans, then L-sorbose to 2-keto-L-gulonic acid via a symbiotic Ketogulonicigenium vulgare/Bacillus megaterium culture, replacing the classical chemical Reichstein process.
2. Riboflavin (B2) fermentation: direct overproduction by the ascomycete fungus Ashbya gossypii, which naturally hyper-accumulates riboflavin as bright-yellow crystals in the culture broth.
3. Cobalamin (B12) fermentation: aerobic Pseudomonas denitrificans or two-stage Propionibacterium freudenreichii fermentation requiring cobalt ion and DMB precursor supplementation.
4. Vitamin D3 photochemistry: UV irradiation of 7-dehydrocholesterol extracted from lanolin (or from yeast-derived ergosterol for vegan D3), followed by thermal isomerization to cholecalciferol.

Sectoral value chain

[Substrate/precursor sourcing (sorbitol, cholesterol, cobalt salts)] ──> [Biosynthesis/bioconversion] ──> [Downstream extraction & purification]
                                                                                                          │
                                                                                             (Crystallization, microencapsulation)
                                                                                                          │
     [Animal feed premixes / food fortification / pharma & supplements] <──── [Stabilization] <─── [Compliance certification (FAMI-QS/USP/EP)]

Value chain levels

Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:

• Two-stage vitamin C bioconversion: a symbiotic bacterial fermentation route (replacing the classical Reichstein chemical process) that converts D-sorbitol to 2-keto-L-gulonic acid, the direct precursor lactonized into ascorbic acid.
• Ashbya gossypii riboflavin overproduction: a natural fungal hyper-producer strain that accumulates vitamin B2 as visible yellow crystals directly in the fermentation broth.
• Vitamin microencapsulation: spray-chilling or fluid-bed coating technology that embeds vitamins in wax or hydrogenated-fat shells, protecting them from oxidative degradation during high-temperature feed pelletizing (up to 90°C).

02US

The United States is the world’s largest consumer market for vitamin supplements and premixes, with FDA cGMP oversight anchoring quality while domestic biotech innovation targets next-generation fermentation routes.

Vegan D3 market growth, precision fermentation R&D, FDA cGMP oversight

• Vegan D3 market growth: the US market for vegan vitamin D3 — sourced from UV-irradiated lichen or specialized ergosterol-synthesizing yeast strains — continues displacing traditional lanolin-derived animal D3, reflecting broader plant-based consumer demand.
• Precision fermentation R&D: American biotech developers are pursuing cell-free and microbial platforms to synthesize costly B-group vitamins (particularly B12) directly from methane or carbon dioxide feedstocks, an area attracting venture capital investment.
• FDA cGMP oversight: the FDA maintains strict cGMP compliance requirements for dietary supplement vitamin substances, routinely auditing imported raw materials for residual solvents and heavy metals.

03CN

China is the unrivaled global hegemon of vitamin production, supplying over 70% of world demand for ascorbic acid, B-group vitamins and vitamin D3 precursors through mega-scale fermentation infrastructure.

Northeast Pharmaceutical’s vitamin C leadership, Zhejiang NHU’s feed-vitamin scale, two-stage fermentation dominance

• Northeast Pharmaceutical Group: one of the world’s three leading vitamin C suppliers, reported in March 2026 that its plants were running at full capacity, with vitamin C and piracetam output up nearly 15% year-on-year in the first two months of the year and core products passing multiple international customer audits.
• Zhejiang NHU: a major producer of feed-grade vitamins A, E and D3 alongside B-group vitamins, operating large-scale fermentation infrastructure concentrated in China’s vitamin-manufacturing heartland provinces.
• Two-stage fermentation dominance: Chinese producers’ two-stage glucose fermentation route for vitamin C has fully displaced the classical chemical Reichstein process, cutting both environmental impact and production cost by roughly 40%, while government-mandated environmental modernization is pushing producers toward closed-loop water systems and fully fermentative B12 synthesis routes that eliminate toxic cyanide-based intermediates.

04EU

The European Union leads in high-stability, protected vitamin formulations for premium animal feed premixes, retaining unique fermentation capacity for riboflavin production independent of Asian supply.

DSM-Firmenich’s Humiome B2 platform, BASF’s Lutavit premix portfolio, EFSA thermal-stability standards

• DSM-Firmenich: continues expanding its Humiome vitamin B2 platform, launching a microbiome-targeted riboflavin product with a two-layer coating designed to deliver more than 90% of the vitamin to the colon to support gut microbiome health, alongside a November 2024 multivitamin solution targeting healthy longevity among Japanese seniors.
• BASF: markets Lutavit A/D3 1000/200 NXT, a combined vitamin A and D3 animal-nutrition premix in a fixed 5:1 ratio suitable across pig, poultry, ruminant, aquaculture and pet species, drawing on more than 50 years of vitamin manufacturing experience spanning oily products and microencapsulated spray-dried beadlets.
• EFSA thermal-stability standards: the EU’s food safety authority applies rigorous scrutiny to vitamin stability under feed-pelletizing heat conditions (up to 90°C), driving European producers to develop lipid-starch matrix microencapsulation technology, while Germany and Switzerland retain unique fermentation capacity for riboflavin production based on Ashbya gossypii, ensuring the European market’s independence from Asian B2 supply.

05Leading companies and research institutes

06Tech stack and innovations

The vitamin manufacturing stack combines classical fermentation biology, immobilized-cell biotransformation and selective physicochemical separation methods:

1. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) production:
   • The ascomycete fungus Ashbya gossypii is a natural hyper-producer of riboflavin, overexpressing key enzymes of the purine and ribulose-5-phosphate synthesis pathway; riboflavin accumulates in the cytoplasm and is released into the culture broth as bright-yellow crystals.
2. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) production:
   • Pseudomonas denitrificans (aerobic process) or Propionibacterium freudenreichii (two-stage process combining anaerobic precursor synthesis with aerobic side-chain attachment) require cobalt ions and 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB) precursor supplementation in the fermentation medium.
3. Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) two-stage bioconversion:
   • Stage one oxidizes D-sorbitol into L-sorbose via Acetobacter suboxydans; stage two oxidizes L-sorbose into 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KLG) via a symbiotic culture of Ketogulonicigenium vulgare and Bacillus megaterium, where B. megaterium supplies purines and growth factors to K. vulgare; the final chemical step lactonizes and esterifies 2-KLG under heat and hydrochloric acid to form L-ascorbic acid.
4. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) photochemistry:
   • Provitamin 7-dehydrocholesterol is extracted from lanolin, then photochemically ring-opened under UV irradiation (290-310 nm wavelength, excimer lamps) followed by thermal isomerization into cholecalciferol.

07Value chains and production pipelines

Industrial pipeline for producing vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) via two-stage fermentation

┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Glucose hydrogenation   │ ───> │ 2. First bioconversion     │
│    to D-sorbitol                │      │    stage (sorbitol→sorbose)     │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
                                                 │
                                                 ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 4. Filtration, acidification│ <─── │ 3. Second bioconversion    │
│    & lactonization              │      │    stage (sorbose→2-KLG)        │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘
              │
              ▼
┌───────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
│ 5. Purification,            │ ───> │ 6. Centrifugation, vacuum  │
│    decolorization & crystallization│      │    drying & packaging           │
└───────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────┘

Stage 1: Glucose hydrogenation to D-sorbitol

Crystalline D-glucose is dissolved in demineralized water and catalytically hydrogenated over a Raney nickel catalyst at 120°C, yielding liquid D-sorbitol that is purified of residual nickel ions on ion-exchange resins.

Stage 2: First bioconversion stage (sorbitol to sorbose)

The sterilized D-sorbitol medium is fermented aerobically with Acetobacter suboxydans in a 100,000-liter fermenter, fully oxidizing sorbitol to L-sorbose over 24-30 hours at 32°C.

Stage 3: Second bioconversion stage (sorbose to 2-KLG)

The L-sorbose solution is transferred to a second fermenter and inoculated with the Ketogulonicigenium vulgare/Bacillus megaterium symbiotic culture; controlled fermentation (pH held at 6.5-7.0 with soda) over 48-60 hours precipitates the sodium salt of 2-keto-L-gulonic acid.

Stage 4: Filtration, acidification and lactonization

Cells are separated by disc centrifugation or ultrafiltration; the 2-KLG sodium salt solution is acidified with hydrochloric acid to precipitate free 2-KLG, which undergoes acid-catalyzed lactonization at 80°C to form crude ascorbic acid.

Stage 5: Purification, decolorization and crystallization

The crude ascorbic acid solution passes through activated carbon for decolorization, followed by ion-exchange desalting on anionic and cationic resin columns, then vacuum evaporation and crystallization at 15°C.

Stage 6: Centrifugation, vacuum drying and packaging

White ascorbic acid crystals are separated by centrifuge, dried in a vacuum paddle dryer at 55°C to below 0.1% moisture, then screened and packed into cardboard drums with aluminum liners.