B.Server wrote in message . ..
On 10 Aug 2003 13:34:26 -0700, (simy1) wrote:

(Jan Flora) wrote in message ...
waste). For the coffee-swilling vegan, there are always vitamin pills.
Or brewer's yeast.

Ruminants manufacture the B-complex vitamins in their digestive systems.
(I'd have to look at my notes from an animal nutrition class to tell you
exactly which chamber of the stomach makes it.) If it's a bacterial
synthesis, they'd make it in their rumens -- the first chamber.

Don't know about mono-gastrics (people, pigs, horses). I'd have to look
it up.

Jan

The bacteria in our gut who are responsible for B-12 do not appreciate
an acid environment (both coffee and alcohol have low pH). It is
possible that B12 in cows be produced in the intestine also. Either
way, all manures are known to have large amounts of B12.

I would be most interested in how you established the pH of "alcohol".
Any hints? What do you suppose those bacteria make of the pH in our
stomachs (anywhere from 1.0 - 4.0) Why would the very low pH of our
stomach contents fail to bother these bacteria while that of some
foods are presumed to do so after they have passed the stomach?

I see what you are saying. The pH of wine is typically around 4.5.
Hard cider goes down to 3.8 or so, though I do not know the pH of beer
(probably substantially higher). I know very few people who drink pure
alcohol. Most Bacteria do not live in the stomach, as you suggest,
because it is too acid. I can only assume that coffee and alcohol
either go straight through (as most liquids do), or preserve some of
their acidity.