Vitamin B7 (Biotin)

Biotin (also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H) is an important nutritional factor and animal feed additive. Biotin is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin that helps the body metabolize proteins and process glucose. The human body cannot synthesize biotin. Only bacteria, molds, yeasts, algae, and certain plants can make it, so the diet needs to supply it.

Major sources of Vitamin B7 include:

+ Milk
+ Dairy products
+ Eggs
+ Oat flakes
+ Nuts

The chemical structure of biotin

Symptoms of vitamin B7 deficiency include scaly dermatitis, conjunctivitis, and hair loss, loss of appetite, hallucination, depression and developmental delay. The daily intake of vitamin B7 for infants (0-5 months), children, adults (> 18-year-old) and pregnant women were recommended to be 5 µg, ~20 µg, 30 µg and 30 µg, respectively.

Methods for the determination of biotin have been developed for foods, feeds, pharmaceutical preparations and for biological fluids such as blood and urine however, their sensitivity and specificity varies. Methods can be divided into four categories: biological, microbiological, physiochemical and binding methods although some hybrid methods have been used.

Creative Diagnostics provide a series of Vitamin B7 antibodies and conjugates for new detection method development.

A list of currently available CD Vitamin B7 products can be downloaded here.