Food Sources of Vitamin E
Alpha-tocopherol is the most active form of vitamin E in humans, and is a powerful biological antioxidant. The alpha-tocopherol form is the one found in the largest quantities in human blood and tissue. Small amounts of the gamma from are also found.
Antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of the body's metabolism.
Vegetable oils, nuts, and green leafy vegetables are the main dietary sources of vitamin E. Fortified cereals are also an important source of vitamin E in the United States.
Vitamin E is found in the following food sources: avocados, cold pressed vegetable oils (olive, soybean, corn, canola, salflower and sunflower), dark green leafy vegetable, legumes, nits (almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts), seeds, and whole grains.
Significant quantities of this vitamin are also found in brown rice, cornmeal, dulse, eggs, kelp, desiccated liver, milk, oatmeal, organ meats, soybeans, sweet potatoes, watercress, wheat, wheat and wheat germ.
Herbs contain vitamin E include alfafa, bladderwrack, dandelion, dong quai, flaxseed, nettle, oat straw, raspberry leaf and rose hips.
Vitamin E was discovered and characterized a as a fat soluble nutritional factor during reproductive studies with rats.
The observation was published in 1922. First named factor X and the antisterility factor, the vitamin was later designated vitamin E since its discovery closely followed the discovery of vitamin D.
A vitamin E active compound was isolated from wheat germ oil in 1936.
At this point, research group named the compound alpha-tocopherol from Greek word tocos (birth) and ferein (bringing), relating to its essentiality for rats to bear young. The ol suffix denotes that the compound is an alcohol.
Demand for vitamin E has rapidly increased. Along with market demand, the number of product types available to the pharmaceutical food, feed, and cosmetic industries has increased.
For all applications, oxidative stability of the vitamin E product is required. Use of microencapsulation or coatings to protect tocopherol and tocotrienols by forming oxygen barriers allows wider use of non-esterified delivery forms.
Food Sources of Vitamin E
