Balchem and Alkemist research shows inconsistent quality across vitamin K2 products

Image courtesy of Balchem

Balchem has announce the results of new research conducted in collaboration with Alkemist Labs that uncovers a lack of consistent quality in the vitamin K2 supplement market. Balchem contracted Alkemist Labs to test 38 vitamin K2 products purchased on “one of the biggest e-commerce platforms in the United States.” The products were in various formats and formulations. Results showed that 71% of the products fell short of established quality benchmarks for K2 MK-7 content and isometric purity.

According to the company, the issue is at the ingredient level, with most of the products not meeting label claims due to cis isomer content, which are not as biologically effective as all-trans MK-7 vitamin K2. This results in low isometric purity, says Balchem. Additionally, some of the product, namely multi-vitamin and K2-plus-mineral formulations, use unprotected forms of K2 that degrade rapidly when combined with other minerals and vitamins.

“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. 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,” said Dominik Mattern, vice president, science, business development and marketing for Balchem Human Nutrition and Health, in a press release. “As a result, numerous solutions available on one of the leading e-commerce platforms in Germany now feature the all-trans mark, assuring consumers of best-in-class K2. 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.”

Balchem claims that its own all-trans bioactive form of vitamin K2 MK-7, K2Vital, has 99.7% isometric purity. Additionally, the company says that analysis showed that 100% of K2-plus-mineral products containing its K2Vital Delta – the only patented double-microencapsulated vitamin K2 for combination with minerals – met label claims, compared to only 8% of unprotected vitamin K2-plus-mineral products.