AN IMPORTANT ANTIOXIDANT IN THE HUMAN DIET
Vitamin E concentrates a family of eight fat-soluble molecules with antioxidant properties: four tocopherol isoforms (α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol) and four tocotrienol isoforms (α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocotrienol).
Tocopherols protect cell membranes from deterioration by the release of oxygen-containing free radicals. By avoiding the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, it helps prevent situations that are related to the destruction of free radicals, such as aging. Α-tocopherol has been recognized as an important antioxidant, with sunflower and olive oils being the best plant sources for its extraction.
Aplications
Since the main function of vitamin E is the inhibition of lipid oxidation processes in food and biological systems, its main applications are in the food industry as a food additive, as well as the cosmetics sector as an ingredient of creams or lotions.
They are also used as feed additives, dietary supplements and in some pharmaceutical formulations
OLEOFAT has developed a process for the extraction and purification of tocopherols that allows it to obtain tocopherols of different degrees of purity.
