Vitamin D Content of Australian Native Food Plants and Australian-Grown Edible Seaweed

Abstract

Vitamin D has previously been quantified in some plants and algae, particularly in leaves of the Solanaceae family. We measured the vitamin D content of Australian native food plants and Australian-grown edible seaweed. Using liquid chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry, 13 samples (including leaf, fruit, and seed) were analyzed in duplicate for vitamin D₂, vitamin D₃, 25-hydroxyvitamin D₂, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃. Five samples contained vitamin D₂: raw wattleseed (<i>Acacia victoriae</i>) (0.03 &micro;g/100 g dry weight (DW)); fresh and dried lemon myrtle (<i>Backhousia citriodora</i>) leaves (0.03 and 0.24 &micro;g/100 g DW, respectively); and dried leaves and berries of Tasmanian mountain pepper (<i>Tasmannia lanceolata</i>) (0.67 and 0.05 &micro;g/100 g DW, respectively). Fresh kombu (<i>Lessonia corrugata</i>) contained vitamin D₃ (0.01 &micro;g/100 g DW). Detected amounts were low; however, it is possible that exposure to ultraviolet radiation may increase the vitamin D content of plants and algae if vitamin D precursors are present.