Concentrations of vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in raw and cooked New Zealand beef and lamb

Abstract Meat from four lamb cuts and four beef cuts was assayed for vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) before and after cooking. Vitamin D3 was measured by HPLC, while 25OHD3 was assayed using a radioimmunoassay method developed for blood plasma. Concentrations of both these compounds tended to increase with cooking for most cuts, but retention levels were often less than 100%. Positive relationships between fat percentage and vitamin D3 were shown before and after cooking, but not for 25OHD3. For lamb, the highest levels of vitamin D3 were in the shoulder chop both before and after cooking, while levels were lowest in the rack muscle. Similar cut differences were shown for 25OHD3 concentrations. For beef there were no significant differences between the cuts for vitamin D3, but concentrations of 25OHD3 were lower in the striploin before and after cooking, Vitamin D3 levels tended to be higher in beef cuts than in lamb cuts, but the opposite held for 25OHD3. Concentrations of vitamin D3 were similar to those in other reports, but the 25OHD3 levels were at the high end of reported ranges. With 25OHD3 being more potent than vitamin D3, it is concluded that meat can make a useful contribution of this vitamin to the human diet.