Phylloquinone (vitamin K1) content of vegetables

Assessment of vitamin K (VK) dietary intakes has been limited by incomplete VK food composition data for the US food supply. The phylloquinone (VK-1 or vitamin K1) concentrations of a variety of geographically representative vegetables (n 1⁄4 218) were determined by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescent detection. Green leafy and flower vegetables including broccoli, broccoli raab, spinach, and certain lettuces, contained 4100 mg phylloquinone/100 g vegetable. In contrast, raw tubers and roots contained o10 mg phylloquinone/100 g vegetable. Iceberg lettuce, a primary dietary source of phylloquinone, contained 24.1 mg phylloquinone/100 g vegetable, which is less than previously listed in nutrient databases. Potential factors affecting phylloquinone concentrations include processing and varietal type of leafy vegetables. r 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.