Chromatographic Separation of Vitamin E Enantiomers.
Vitamin E is recognized as an essential vitamin since its discovery in 1922. Most vegetable oils contain a mixture of tocopherols and tocotrienols in the vitamin E composition. Structurally, tocopherols and tocotrienols share a similar chromanol ring and a side chain at the C-2 position. Owing to the three chiral centers in tocopherols, they can appear as eight different stereoisomers. Plant sources of tocopherol are naturally occurring in the form ofRRRwhile synthetic tocopherols are usually in the form of all-racemic mixture. Similarly, with only one chiral center, natural tocotrienols occur as theR-isoform. In this review, we aim to discuss a few chromatographic methods that had been used to separate the stereoisomers of tocopherols and tocotrienols. These methods include high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and combination of both. The review will focus on method development including selection of chiral columns, detection method and choice of elution solvent in the context of separation efficiency, resolution and chiral purity. The applications for separation of enantiomers in vitamin E will also be discussed especially in terms of the distinctive biological potency among the stereoisoforms.
Nutrition Unit, Product Development and Advisory Services Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, 6 Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. fujuyen@gmail.com.
Ju-Yen
JY
Fu
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. thet.thet.htar@monash.edu.
Thet-Thet
TT
Htar
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. leannedesilva@gmail.com.
Leanne
L
De Silva
Nutrition Unit, Product Development and Advisory Services Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, 6 Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. dtmy1988@gmail.com.
Doryn Meam-Yee
DM
Tan
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. alice.chuah@monash.edu.
Lay-Hong
LH
Chuah
D002845:Chromatography / Q000379:methods; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D024505:Tocopherols / Q000737:chemistry; D024508:Tocotrienols / Q000737:chemistry; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D024508:Tocotrienols; D014810:Vitamin E; D024505:Tocopherols
Vitamin E; chromatography; enantiomers; tocopherols; tocotrienols