Vitamin B₆ - Food Sources

Food Sources

Vitamin B₆ is widely distributed in foods in both its free and bound forms. Good sources include meats, whole grain products, vegetables, nuts and bananas. Cooking, storage and processing losses of vitamin B₆ vary and in some foods may be more than 50%, depending on the form of vitamin present in the food. Plant foods lose the least during processing, as they contain mostly pyridoxine, which is far more stable than the pyridoxal or pyridoxamine found in animal foods. For example, milk can lose 30-70% of its vitamin B₆ content when dried. Vitamin B₆ is found in the germ and aleurone layer of grains, and milling results in the reduction of this vitamin in white flour. Freezing and canning are other food processing methods that result in the loss of vitamin B₆ in foods.