Food sources of phylloquinone

The major dietary source of vitamin K, the form found in green plants, is generally called vitamin K1 but it is preferably called phylloquinone. It was discovered in higher plants nearly 75 years ago by Henrik Dam but was recognized only a little over a decade ago as an electron carrier between the primary acceptor and inter-polypeptide iron-sulfur center FeS-X in photosystem.

Green leafy vegetables especially spinach (380 ug/100 g), cabbage (145 ug/100 g), broccoli (180 ug/100 g) and Brussels sprouts (177 ug/100 g) supply substantial amounts of phylloquinone.

Certain vegetables oils (soybean, cotton seed, canola and olive) also are good sources. The phylloquinone content of oils varies considerably, with soybean oil (190 ug/100 g) and canola oil (130 ug/100 g) quite high and corn oil (3 ug/100 g) a very poor source.

Exposure to light degrades vitamin K, so the phylloquinone content of oils varies not only with brand and batch but also with storage time if the oil are bottled in transparent container. Therefore, vegetable oils may not be a reliable source of vitamin K.

Phylloquinone was reported in green, brown and read algae and also in the blue-green alga Nostoc. In the brown, red and blue-green algae there was more phylloquinone present compared with plastoquinone than there was in the higher plants. In fruit and in petals phylloquinone was present in detectable quantities.
Food sources of phylloquinone