  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.
