Kappa enlists ChromaDex for K2 quality control

New vitamin K2 player Kappa Bioscience will utilize third party tester ChromaDex’s reference standards and analytical methods after signing a global agreement.

Norwegian firm Kappa said California-based ChromaDex’s quality control procedures were vital in an area like vitamin K2 due to its multiple sources.

“The market needs a reliable and impartial third party expert like ChromaDex to bring clarity to Vitamin K analysis,” said Kappa chief executive officer, Egil Greve.

“To date it has been difficult, if not impossible, to verify the label claims of Vitamin K2 in nutritional products. We expect that industry interest and confidence in Vitamin K2 will grow now that we can all confirm fortification.”

ChromaDex co-founder and chief executive officer, Frank Jaksch, said vitamin K2 quality control issues were rising in prominence as the ingredient’s popularity grew.

“Since MK-7 is a vitamin product manufactured from different sources, it is critical that testing procedures are in place to ensure the quality and consistency of any MK-7 related ingredient or product,” he remarked.

Main forms

There are two main forms of vitamin K: phylloquinone, also known as phytonadione, (vitamin K1) which is found in green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and spinach, and makes up about 90 per cent of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet; and menaquinones (vitamins K2), which make up about 10 per cent of Western vitamin K consumption and can be synthesised in the gut by microflora.

Menaquinones (MK-n: with the n determined by the number of prenyl side chains) can also be found in the diet; MK-4 can be found in animal meat, MK-7, MK-8, and MK-9 are found in fermented food products like cheese, and natto is a rich source of MK-7.

Markets

The US vitamin K raw material market in the US is estimated at $10 million.

According to data obtained this week from Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), there were 95 and 91 dietary supplements containing vitamin K launched in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

The market is dominated by branded ingredients: BioPharma/Synergia Life Sciences’ MenaquinGold. NattoPharma’s MenaQ7, Blue California’s Vitamin K2-All Trans, PL

The main health conditions targeted by vitamin K2 are bone health and cardiovascular health.