Tocotrienol, 8-, occurrence

Other Components of the Unsaponifiable Matter The unsaponifiable matter in a cmde regular sunflower oil is usually in the range of 0.5-1.5% (9, 17), or lower than 15 g/kg according to the Codex-Stan 210-1999. In addition to sterols (around 2.4. 6 g/kg) and tocopherols and tocotrienols (0.4-1.5 g/kg), there are minor components of sunflower oil. Aliphatic compounds and terpenoids occur naturally in oils. Of the terpenoid family, squalene is the most widely occurring compound. The occurrence of squalene in regular sunflower oil is fairly low 0.008-0.019% (5) or 15-20 mg/100 g (9). The aliphatic alcohol content is 100-mg/lOO-g oil (9). 

Together with y-oryzanol, tocotrienols are responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effect of rice bran oil (250). Tocotrienol concentrates have been shown to have a hypocholesterolemic effect in animals and humans (251-257) possibly because of inhibition of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) (251, 258, 259). The presence of a-tocopherol at concentrations >20% in tocotrienol concentrates was, however, found to attenuate the inhibitory elfect of tocotrienols on HMG-COA reductase, thereby weakening their cholesterollowering activities (254). Tocotrienols were especially found to synergize the cholesterol-lowering effect of lovastatin (254). In addition, tocotrienols have been shown to influence certain hemostatic parameters and to reduce the occurrence of chemical-induced tumors in the rat (253). 

We possess nowadays a vastly improved idea of the occurrence and chemical changes of the E vitamins, thanks to intensive application and expansion of thin-layer chromatographic methods. Pennock et al. [104, 105] have investigated the naturally occurring tocopherols and tocotrienols (saturated or unsaturated side-chains, respectively) and proposed the following nomenclature and abbreviations, on the basis of their results ... 

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