Biotin
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin. The biotin-dependent enzymes (carboxylase) have the key functions in gluconeogenesis, in decomposition of four essential amino acids:
- methionine,
- isoleucine,
- threonine,
- valine
and in the biosynthesis of fatty acids.
Biotin deficiency symptoms with normal eating habits of adults have not been noticed. They only occur after a prolonged consumption of large quantities of raw eggs, because of the avidin in the egg white which irreversibly binds biotin. Moreover, they were noticed in insufficient parenteral feeding and in children with congenital biotinidase deficiency.
Biotin intake from food varies in wide limits (< 30 µg - 150 µg*/day).
Estimated values for the appropriate entries
| Age | Biotin µg/day |
| Infants | |
| 0 to less than 4 months | 5 |
| 4 to less than 12 months | 5–10 |
| Children | |
| 1 to less than 4 years | 10–15 |
| 4 to less than 7 years | 10–15 |
| 7 to less than 10 years | 15–20 |
| 10 to less than 13 years | 20–30 |
| 13 to less than15 years | 25–35 |
| Adolescents and adults |
|
| 15 to less than 19 years | 30–60 |
| 19 to less than 25 years | 30–60 |
| 25 to less than 51 years | 30–60 |
| 51 to less than 65 years | 30–60 |
| 65 years and older | 30–60 |
| Pregnant women |
30–60 |
| Nursing mothers |
30–60 |
The upper intake limit
Hypervitaminosis with biotin is not known.
The data in our database
Our database of food composition includes information about the nutritional value of vitamin E from two sources:
- from the Slovenian database of meat and meat products;
- from the European database.
biotin are
- liver,
- soy,
- egg yolks,
- nuts,
- oatmeal,
- spinach,
- champignons and
- lentil.
