Vitamin K content of Australian-grown horticultural commodities

TL;DR

This study provides the first comprehensive data on vitamin K1 levels in Australian-grown fruits, vegetables, and nuts, highlighting regional variations and aiding global nutritional databases.

Contribution

It offers the first nationally representative vitamin K1 composition data for Australian horticultural commodities, filling a significant data gap.

Findings

Kale, spinach, and Brussels sprouts have high vitamin K1 levels.

Vitamin K1 concentrations vary significantly across regions.

Data support development of region-specific food composition databases.

Abstract

Vitamin K is emerging as a multi-function vitamin that plays a role in bone, brain and vascular health. Vitamin K composition data remain limited globally and Australia has lacked nationally representative data for vitamin K1 (phylloquinone, PK) in horticultural commodities. Primary samples (n = 927) of 90 different Australian-grown fruit, vegetable and nut commodities were purchased in three Australian cities. We measured PK in duplicate in 95 composite samples using liquid chromatography with electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry. The greatest mean concentrations of PK were found in kale (565 ug/100 g), baby spinach (255 ug/100 g) and Brussels sprouts (195 ug/100 g). The data contribute to the global collection of vitamin K food composition data. They add to the evidence that PK concentrations vary markedly between geographic regions, supporting development of region-specific datasets for national food composition databases that do not yet contain data for vitamin K.