Tocotrienols as antioxidant in food

Vitamin E is represented by eight different isomers of varying biological potency: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols differ in that the tocopherols have a saturated C16 isoprenoid side chain whereas the tocotrienols have a similar isoprenoid with an unsaturated side chain.

Tocotrienols as a group or as specific isomers have in recent decades been added to the food supply, either as ingredients added to foods or in dietary supplements.

Three major sources of tocotrienols are rice, palm, annatto. One of the biggest challenges in the food industry is keeping food fresh for extended periods of time. This is of particular concern when food contains monounsaturated or polyunsaturated vegetable oils and it is easily oxidized.

Therefore, antioxidants are added to prevent oxidation and preserve freshness. Palm oil and palm tocotrienols are being added to foods for this purpose. Tocotrienols are as efficient as tocopherols in quenching peroxyl radicals in solution whereas in membranes, tocotrienols seem to be more active.

Tocotrienols and tocopherols are powerful antioxidants – known as early as 1937 – for improving food protection and are shown today to potentially protection from cognitive decline. Tocotrienols can help human minds healthy by protecting the blood vessels going to the brain and maintaining proper circulation.
Tocotrienols as antioxidant in food

Tocotrienols of vitamin E

Tocopherols and tocotrienols which are collectively known as tocochromanols, belongs to the group of vitamin E compounds.

Tocotrienols occupy a special place due to their unique chemical structure and properties. They are generally located in seeds and fruits; however, there is a high variation in the relative abundance for each tocotrienols homologue.

Tocotrienols are a group of four amphipathic molecules (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) that differ in the number and position of the methyl groups in the polar head.

Delta-tocotrienols tends to be the predominant form found in seeds, followed by alpha and gamma forms, whereas gamma-tocotrienols is the predominant form in fruits.

The gamma-tocotrienols is the most prevalent form in nature and it also appears to be the form with strongest potential for dietary health benefits.

Most tocotrienols from market are derived form rice bran oil and palm oil. Presently marketed forms of tocotrienols contain mixed tocotrienols in their unesterified forms.

The major sources of tocotrienols are plant, oils, and the richest sources are palm oil, rice bran oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil.

Tocotrienols are not found in the green parts of plants but, rather in the bran and germ fraction of certain seeds and cereals. All of the natural tocotrienols are fat-soluble, water insoluble oils.
Tocotrienols of vitamin E

Food sources of tocotrienols

Vitamin E is one of the major essential vitamins. Since vitamin E is an essential nutrient for protecting the bio-membrane from oxidative damage, people have to take in sufficient amounts of vitamin E to maintain and promote nutritional health.

Vitamin E consists of two subgroups called tocopherols and tocotrienols. Tocotrienols are less common and belong to the vitamin E family and are potent lipid antioxidant. In foods, in which they occur, they are generally only found in small amounts.

Tocotrienols have become a focus of research in recent years because of new findings showing their high efficacy in protecting against heart-related diseases, including lowering of cholesterol and against certain cancers.

The sources with the largest amount of tocotrienols include wheat, barley, rice and most abundantly, the fruit of the palm from which palm oil is extracted.

Palm oil is by far the richest source of tocotrienols. Palm oil is unique because it contains both tocotrienols and tocopherols unlike other vegetable oils some of which contain mainly alpha-tocopherol as the major tocopherol component.

The tumor protective effect of tocotrienols form palm oil was demonstrated by Komiyama and Yamoka (1993), Nesaretnam (1995), Guthrie (1997) and others.

The vitamin E fraction of palm oil, which is rich in tocotrienols, appears to be important in reducing certain tumors because palm oil stripped of the vitamin E does increase tumor yields.
Food sources of tocotrienols

Therapeutic value of tocotrienols

Tocopherols and tocotrienols which are collectively known as tocochromanols, belongs to the group of vitamin E compounds.

Tocotrienols occupy a special place due to their unique chemical structure and properties.

Tocotrienols are a group of four amphipathic molecules (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) that differ in the number and position of the methyl groups in the polar head.

Human studies indicate that they are good antioxidant. These include inhibition of lipid peroxidation decrease in DNA damage, reduction in protein oxidation besides ability to scavenge various biologically relevant free radicals.

Research shows that naturally occurring tocotrienols and natural delta-tocopherol are effective at inducing cell death in human breast cancer cells.

A study on animals found that tocotrienols even increased the benefits of drugs, such as tamoxifen, which fight breast cancer. Tocotrienols also have beneficial effects on cardiovascular system. It is protecting the blood vessels going to the brain and maintaining proper circulation.

Tocotrienols can help protect against heart disease by preventing excess blood clotting, protect against inflammation, lower cholesterol and reduce atherosclerosis.

They have antidiabetic and neuroprotective properties apart from possible antiaging effects.

Tocotrienols appear to be necessary for formal bone growth and calcification. Therefore, without a source of tocotrienols in the diet, human bones become week.
Therapeutic value of tocotrienols