The Effect of Physical Refining on Palm Vitamin E (Tocopherol, Tocotrienol and Tocomonoenol)

This study reports the effect of physical refining on palm vitamin E including I±âˆ’tocopherol, I±âˆ’, γ− and I´âˆ’tocotrienols as well as I±âˆ’tocomonoenol. A method using HPLC with fluorescence detector using normal phase silica column is described. An isocratic elution with n-hexane/THF/2-propanol (1000:60:4, by vol.) as mobile phase was used. The structure of the I±âˆ’tocomonoenol was determined using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The composition of the vitamers were I±âˆ’tocopherol (14–17%), I±âˆ’tocotrienol (22–24%), γ−tocotrienol (49–53%), I´âˆ’tocotrienol (6–7%) and I±âˆ’tocomonoenol (3%) throughout the physical refining. The concentration of all vitamers in crude palm oil was 1273±18 ppm. The concentrations of all vitamers in degummed palm oil, bleached palm oil and deodorized palm oil were 1134±20 ppm, 1095±18 ppm and 1029±18 ppm, respectively. This method provides fast and valuable information with minimal analysis time and no sample pre-treatment.