Vitamin E has numerous important roles within the body because of its antioxidant activity and well recognized for their effective inhibition of lipid peroxidation in foods and living cells.
Vitamin E consists of four tocopherols (α-, β-, γ-, and ẟ-T) and the corresponding tocotrienols (α-, β-, γ- and ẟ-T3), which contain unsaturated side chains. RRR-a-T is the most biologically active form.
Tocopherols are widely distributed throughout the plant kingdom, α-tocopherol is the most widespread, being found essentially in the chloroplast. Other tocopherols are located outside the chloroplast.
The lipophilic extract of ripe banana pulp from several cultivars of the M. acuminata and M. balbisiana species has been found to be a source of α-tocopherol, thus offering well established nutritional and health benefits.
The biological activity of the tocopherols varies greatly and this variation is only partly correlated with the antioxidant action.
Vitamin E as antioxidant
