Balchem-Alkemist analysis reveals vitamin K2 supplement quality concerns

14-Aug-2024 - Last updated on 15-Aug-2024 at 14:13 GMT

There are two main forms of vitamin K: K1, also called phylloquinone or phytonadione and K2, also known as the menaquinones. Image: © andriano_cz / Getty Images

Over two-thirds of vitamin K2 supplements purchased via a large U.S. e-commerce platform failed to meet label claims due to low quality or purity, according to a new analysis by Balchem and Alkemist Labs.

According to Innova (August 2024), use of vitamin K2 as the main ingredient in human supplements has been growing with a CAGR of 15%, but new test results from Balchem and Alkemist Labs indicates that not all those supplements are what they claim to be: Analysis of 38 vitamin K2 products in various formats and formulations revealed that 71% fell short of the established quality benchmarks concerning K2 MK-7 content or isomeric purity.

Vitamin K2

There are two main forms of vitamin K. Phylloquinone (also known as phytonadione or vitamin K1) is found in green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli and spinach and makes up about 90% of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet. The second, menaquinones (vitamins K2), makes up about 10% of Western vitamin K consumption and can be synthesized in the gut by microflora.

Menaquinones can also be found in the diet: MK-4 in animal meat and MK-7, MK-8 and MK-9 in fermented food products like cheese. Natto (fermented soybeans) is a rich source of MK-7.

The potential health benefits of the vitamin include cardiovascular and bone health, with data also supporting a role in prostate health and cognitive benefits.

Balchem, which acquired vitamin K2 player Kappa Bioscience in 2022, supplies a patented, synthetic, 99.7% all-trans vitamin K2 as MK-7 called K2VITAL, with studies showing the ingredient is bio-identical to the vitamin K2 molecule found in nature.

New testing

The new testing showed that only 29% of the supplements analyzed by Alkemist Labs met MK-7 content and isomeric purity standards. A low isomeric purity refers to the presence of both cis- and trans- isomers of MK-7, versus all-trans versions.

Additionally, some multivitamin or combination K2-plus-mineral formulations use unprotected forms of vitamin K2, which degrade rapidly when combined with other minerals and vitamins, said Balchem.

“This journey towards transparency started in 2018, when we tested for assay and purity of vitamin K2 products in Germany, and the results were shocking,” said Dominik Mattern, VP of science, business development and marketing of Balchem Human Nutrition and Health. “To address this, we contacted manufacturers to inform them of our findings and explore co-development opportunities to enable them to enhance their offering by incorporating all-trans MK-7 and meet label claims.”

Mattern said that this resulted in one of the leading e-commerce platforms in Germany now featuring the all-trans mark.

“We aim to increase awareness about the unique specifications of vitamin K2, emphasizing the necessity for the correct isomer, known as all-trans MK-7, as well as the importance of microencapsulation and proper protection in the presence of specific compounds such as minerals,” he added.

Quality questions endure

The results of the analysis feeds into a wider issue around quality of some dietary supplement products available online. No company has done more to raise awareness of this issue than Illinois-based NOW Foods, which has been testing lesser-known brands available from leading e-commerce platforms for seven years. Its most recent testing, revealed this week, found significant failings with resveratrol supplements.

NOW’s program received the 2021 NutraIngredients-USA Award for Industry Initiative of the Year.

ChromaDex has also raised questions about the quality of NMN supplements on Amazon, while Timeline also shared tests results that alleged that some urolithin A supplements on the platform did not contain any of the cellular aging ingredient.