The PricePlow Podcast #188: Edwin Gonzalez & Michael Alfaro - Redefining Vitamin B12 with HTBA's MecobalActive
For Episode #188 of the PricePlow Podcast, we welcome Edwin Gonzalez, Functional Health Sales Manager at Health Tech Bio Actives (HTBA), alongside Michael Alfaro from Master Foods Lab. This episode marks a milestone collaboration: putting cutting-edge vitamin B12 science into functional foods that consumers can actually feel working.
Edwin introduces MecobalActive, HTBA’s ultra-pure, optimized methylcobalamin ingredient that’s redefining what B12 supplementation can do. Traditionally, the industry positioned B12 as a deficiency vitamin for tired, anemic, or sluggish individuals. HTBA is changing that narrative completely. New clinical research demonstrates that just three days of MecobalActive supplementation significantly improved both physical power output and cognitive reaction time in healthy, well-trained athletes without B12 deficiency. This isn’t about correcting what’s broken, it’s about optimizing what already works.
The conversation explores HTBA’s nearly 50-year European heritage, their unique position as the only EU manufacturer of all active B12 forms, and the proprietary green chemistry process that yields MecobalActive’s exceptional purity and stability. Michael walks through the technical challenges of incorporating functional ingredients into Skinny Bite cakes (showcased at SupplySide Global 2025), revealing the complex interplay between formulation science, manufacturing constraints, and innovative problem-solving. From raspberry-colored B12 filling to protected cake layers to the partnership model driving functional food innovation, this episode delivers both scientific depth and practical application insights.
https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/vitamin-b12-htba-mecobalactive-188
Video: Redefining B12 with HTBA’s Edwin Gonzalez and Master Foods Lab’s Michael Alfaro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGqZm9Q5bkw
Detailed Show Notes: MecobalActive B12 Takeover
- (0:00) – Welcome Back: A Dive Into Functional Foods
- (2:00) – Redefining B12: From Deficiency to Performance Enhancement
- (4:45) – Creating Functional Foods: The Clear Can Problem
- (7:15) – The Formulation Challenge: Making Actives Work in Real Food
- (11:00) – HTBA’s European Heritage and Manufacturing Excellence
- (14:30) – Green Chemistry: Manufacturing B12 Without Toxic Reagents
- (16:45) – Light Sensitivity and Creative Product Applications
- (19:00) – Redefining B12 Like Creatine Was Redefined
- (22:00) – The Clinical Study: Triple-Blind Crossover in Healthy Athletes
- (26:45) – The Results: 4% Power, 6% Fatigue Resistance, 5% Cognition
- (31:00) – Structure/Function Claims and Market Applications
- (35:45) – Color-Driven Innovation and Future Applications
- (37:00) – The Chocolate Coating: Formulation Within Constraints
- (39:00) – Manufacturing Mastery: Solving the Protein Cake Challenge
- (41:00) – The Partnership Model: When Ingredient Suppliers Become Collaborators
- (42:00) – The Pressure Cooker: Building Brands in Real Time
- (44:00) – Closing and Where to Find Edwin, HTBA, and Michael
Where to Find HTBA, MecobalActive, and Master Foods Lab
HTBA and MecobalActive: