E306 - Tocopherols

E 306 NATURAL EXTRACTS RICH IN TOCOPHEROLS OR TOCOPHEROL EXTRACT

With the general term "vitamin E", we mean not a single compound, but a set of compounds and specifically: alpha, gamma and delta tocopherols, three fat-soluble and antioxidant substances. Thanks to this last characteristic, tocopherols are able to prevent, thanks to their chemical similarity with fatty acids, the oxidation phenomena of polyunsaturated fatty acids (particularly contained in vegetable and fish oils), a key event in the development of the process. of lipid peroxidation.
Foods are particularly rich in vitamin E:

• seeds (and consequently the oils derived from them, including hemp oil),
• cereals,
• fruit and vegetables.
• hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds.

The industrial mechanical refining treatments of vegetable oils drastically reduce the presence of tocopherols and it is precisely for this reason that if an oil has undergone various refining processes it will become more easily rancid.
Its use, however, is reduced due to the strong flavor it gives to the foods in which it is contained.
Tocopherols are mainly used in animal and vegetable oils and fats to prevent rancidity, in some baby foods, cheeses, soups, sausages, etc.
At high concentrations, vitamin E can cause various side effects, but these effects are not associated with the use of tocopherols as food additives, but as vitamin supplements.
ADI DOSE: 2 mg per kg of body weight.

Digression on the rancidity of fats

One of the most important problems in the industrial field is the rancidity of foods rich in fats or oils, particularly if they are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (fatty acids that have more than one double bond). The rancidity of fats, in addition to conferring an unpleasant smell and taste, a reduction in the nutritional quality of the food and its safety.
Antioxidants, oxidizing instead of food, are essential to avoid processes such as the one described above, effectively fighting free radicals.
The destructive action of free radicals is directed on the cells, but specifically it is directed against the fats that form their membranes, against sugars and phosphates, against DNA (where they can alter genetic information), against enzymes and so on.
The continuous action of free radicals is highlighted, above all, in the premature aging of the skin and in the possibility of the onset of various serious diseases such as cancer, diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, pulmonary emphysema, cataracts, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, dermatitis etc.

E307-ALPHA-TOCOPHEROL (SYNTHETIC)
E308 GAMMA-TOCOPHEROL (SYNTHETIC)
E309 DELTA- TOCOPHEROL (SYNTHETIC)

E300-E304 E306-E309 E310 E311 E312 E313 E314 E315 E316 E319 E320

E321

E322 E325-E27 E330-E333 E334-E337 E338 E339 E340 E341 E342 E343 E350 E351 E352 E353 E354 E355 E356 E357 E363 E365-E367 E370 E375 E380 E381 E385 E387 E388