Tocopherol in butter

Since the tocopherol content of feeds varies with the season and since the amount of tocopherol in milk is a reflection of the dietary intake, it is to be expected that the tocopherol content of butter will vary throughout the year. Anglin, Mahon, and Chapman (1955) estimated the tocopherol content of 329 butter samples collected throughout the year from 28 towns in 8 provinces in Canada. The average values by months are presented in Kg. 5. Highest values were noted during the late summer months and lowest values during the late winter months. A 100% variation occurred, 

---

W Kneifel, F Ulberth, U Winkler-Macheiner. HPLC methods for the simultaneous determination of retinol and tocopherol in butter and whole-milk powder. Deutsche Lebensm Rundschau 83 137-139, 1987. (In German). 

Fig. 5. Seasonal variation of tocopherol in butter. From Anglin el al. (1955).

---