Vitamin K content of cheese, yoghurt and meat products in Australia

Abstract

Vitamin K is vital for normal blood coagulation, and may influence bone, neurological and vascular health. Data on the vitamin K content of Australian foods are limited, preventing estimation of vitamin K intakes in the Australian population. We measured phylloquinone (PK) and menaquinone (MK) -4 to -10 in cheese, yoghurt and meat products (48 composite samples from 288 primary samples) by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry. At least one K vitamer was found in every sample. The greatest mean concentrations of PK, MK-4 and MK-9 were found in lamb liver, chicken leg meat and Cheddar cheese, respectively. Cheddar cheese and cream cheese contained MK-5. MK-8 was found in Cheddar cheese only. As the K vitamer profile and concentrations appear to vary considerably by geographical location, Australia needs a vitamin K food composition dataset that is representative of foods consumed in Australia.