Cereal Chem 63:78-81   |  VIEW ARTICLE
Tocopherols and Tocotrienols in Cereal Products from Finland.

V. Piironen, E.-L. Syvaoja, P. Varo, K. Salminen, and P. Koivistoinen. Copyright 1986 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

This study is part of a comprehensive survey carried out to determine the tocopherol and tocotrienol contents of Finnish foods. They were analyzed from 39 milling, flour-based, and bakery products using a high-performance liquid chromatographic method. Their compositions were highly variable. Among the milling and flour-based products alpha-tocopherol was predominant in wheat germ only. Wheat flour of ash content 1.2-1.4% and rye flour of ash content 0.9-1.0% contained about equal amounts of alpha-tocopherol and beta-tocotrienol. In most other milling products alpha-tocotrienol or beta-tocotrienol predominated. The richest sources of vitamin E were wheat germ, bran, meal and flour of ash content 1.2-1.4%, rye meal, and oat products (vitamin E content greater than or equal to 1.3 mg of alpha-tocopherol equivalents/100 g), and the poorest sources were white wheat flour, macaroni, semolina, polished rice, rice crispies, whole grain millet, and corn flakes (less than or equal to 0.3 mg). The composition and content of vitamin E in bakery products were greatly dependent on the type and amount of added fat. For most bakery products the vitamin E content ranged from 0.8 to 1.5 mg of alpha-tocopherol equivalent/100 g. Cereal products make a substantial contribution to the vitamin E intake of Finns.