Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, appears highest in liver, listed in our database at 7 mg per 100 grams. Wheat bran follows at 2.18 mg, peanuts at 1.77 mg and raw salmon at 1.7 mg. Per day the European reference intake counts 6 mg (EU NRV). The name comes from the Greek pantothen: present everywhere.
What may be said about pantothenic acid
The authorised wordings in Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 include: "pantothenic acid contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism", "pantothenic acid contributes to normal mental performance" and "pantothenic acid contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue". Advertising likes to fuse the last two into something resembling a focus boost. That is not an authorised claim but a rewrite, and rewriting turns a permitted sentence into a prohibited one.
Where it sits thickest in our data
Per 100 grams: liver 7 mg, wheat bran 2.18 mg, peanuts 1.77 mg, raw salmon 1.7 mg and raw chicken breast 1.6 mg. Mushrooms sit just behind at 1.50 mg. The spread is narrow compared with other vitamins, and that is precisely the point: no single source blows the rest away, because a little of it sits in almost everything. For daily practice that means someone eating variedly has nothing to steer here.
6 mg a day as the reference value
We show 6 mg per day, the EU NRV. Work through an ordinary day — oats, a serving of chicken, a handful of peanuts, some vegetables — and you arrive there without effort. Pantothenic acid is water-soluble and not held in reserve, but because supply arrives from so many products at once, daily coverage is stable in practice. That makes it one of the few B vitamins we barely pause on during an intake.
When you would watch this after all
A low intake is exceptional on a normal, varied diet. Where it could theoretically get tight is on a very low calorie total sustained over a long period — an aggressive, self-imposed crash approach, for instance. That is exactly the pattern we push back on, and not because of this vitamin alone. If you have complaints or doubt your values, that question belongs with your GP, not with a table.
Supplementing: our position
We sell nothing and recommend no brand. Standalone B5 products mostly appear as part of a B-complex, and whether that adds anything depends entirely on what is already on your plate. For the entrepreneurs and professionals we coach, the gain is rarely a pill: it is a third meal that actually gets eaten on a day with four meetings. That is what we steer on, and it is measurable.
How we compile this list
We sort every row in the DCRAFT food database on the measured value per 100 grams and take the top of that list. Rows recorded per piece, per slice or per portion do not count, because a value per piece cannot be compared with a value per 100 grams. Products listed under a brand name are left out: their composition changes outside our control, and a ranking resting on it ages without us noticing. Where several products carry precisely the same value, it comes from one shared row in our source data and we name one product from that group. We set this rule out here because a ranking without a visible selection rule is an opinion rather than a measurement.
Frequently asked questions
Which foods contain the most vitamin B5?
Liver leads our database at 7 mg per 100 grams, then wheat bran at 2.18 mg and peanuts at 1.77 mg.
How much pantothenic acid do you need per day?
On the European list of reference intakes this stands at 6 mg per day (EU NRV). A varied day with cereals, meat or fish and nuts usually reaches it without steering.
Why is it called pantothenic acid?
The name comes from the Greek pantothen, meaning from everywhere. It refers to the fact that the vitamin occurs in nearly all plant and animal products.
Do you need a B-complex for vitamin B5?
We make no supplement recommendations. What we can say: the spread across ordinary foods is so broad for this vitamin that it is rarely the bottleneck.
Sources
- DCRAFT food database — KILLER COACH ENGINE V2.3 workbook (accessed 26 August 2026)
- EU NRV — Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII (accessed 26 August 2026)
- Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (accessed 26 August 2026)
Please note: This is general information about nutrition, not medical advice. If you have symptoms or suspect a deficiency, discuss it with your doctor. We do not sell supplements and have no commercial interest in any brand.
Last updated: .
Written by Dennis, founder of Dcraft Of Fitness.