As the use of tocopherols as natural antioxidants increases, it is economically and agronomically important to determine the range, composition, and factors that affect their levels in oilseed crops, a major commercial source. In this study, tocopherols were quantified from seeds of wheat, sunflower, canola, and soybean. The breeding lines analyzed possessed a broad range of economically important phenotypic traits such as disease or herbicide resistance, improved yield and agronomic characteristics, and altered storage oil fatty acid composition. Complete separation of all four native tocopherols was achieved using normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Total tocopherol concentration among wheat germ oil samples ranged from 1947 to 4082 µg g −1 . Total tocopherol concentration ranges varied from 534 to 1858 µg g −1 in sunflower, 504 to 687 µg g −1 in canola, and 1205 to 2195 µg g −1 among the soybean oils surveyed. Although the composition of tocopherols varied substantially among crops, composition was stable within each crop. Total tocopherol concentration and the percentage linolenic acid were correlated positively in soybean oils with modified and unmodified fatty acid compositions. Tocopherol concentration and degree of unsaturation were not correlated in sunflower or canola seeds with genetically altered fatty acid composition. These findings suggest that breeding for altered storage oil fatty acid composition did not negatively impact tocopherol concentrations in sunflower and canola as they apparently did in soybeans. When 12 soybean breeding lines were grown at each of five locations, significant correlations were observed among planting location, breeding line, tocopherol concentration, and fatty acid composition. Analysis of seeds that matured under three different controlled temperature regimes suggests that the relationship between tocopherol concentration level and unsaturated fatty acids in commodity (not genetically modified for fatty acid composition) oil types is due to temperature effects on the biosynthesis of both compounds.Paper no. J8930 in JAOCS 76, 349-355 (March 1999).

Micronutrient deficiencies are common in locales where people must rely upon sorghum as their staple diet. Sorghum grain is seriously deficient in provitamin A (β-carotene) and in the bioavailability of iron and zinc. Biofortification is a process to improve crops for one or more micronutrient deficiencies. We have developed sorghum with increased β-carotene accumulation that will alleviate vitamin A deficiency among people who rely on sorghum as their dietary staple. However, subsequent β-carotene instability during storage negatively affects the full utilization of this essential micronutrient. We determined that oxidation is the main factor causing β-carotene degradation under ambient conditions. We further demonstrated that coexpression of homogentisate geranylgeranyl transferase (HGGT), stacked with carotenoid biosynthesis genes, can mitigate β-carotene oxidative degradation, resulting in increased β-carotene accumulation and stability. A kinetic study of β-carotene degradation showed that the half-life of β-carotene is extended from less than 4 wk to 10 wk on average with HGGT coexpression.β-carotene accumulation | β-carotene stability | vitamin E | HGGT | biofortified sorghum T he importance of vitamin A for human health has been widely addressed (1-6). A 2009 Global Report (7) summarized vitamin A as being "vital for survival and sight; to boost the immune system, vitamin A is a critical micronutrient for survival and physical health of children exposed to disease." In Africa, malnutrition is a serious challenge, but micronutrient deficiency also plays a dominant role in the overall food security of that continent. Based on this global report, the five countries having the highest proportions of preschool age children with vitamin A deficiency were all located in Africa: 95.6% in Sao Tome and Principe, 84.4% in Kenya, 75.8% in Ghana, 74.8% in Sierra Leone, and 68.8% in Mozambique. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is one of the most important staple foods for an estimated 500 million people, primarily those living in arid and semiarid areas. In Africa, it is the second most important cereal; about 300 million people rely on it as their daily staple food. Although sorghum is gluten-free and could be an attractive replacement for wheat-allergy sufferers, it is considered a nutrient-poor crop (8, 9) with very low amounts of β-carotene (10). The improvement of micronutrients in food crops has attracted considerable attention, and significant advances have been made in a range of major crops (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Nutritional improvement in sorghum was undertaken a decade ago (23, 24); however, progress has lagged behind the progress in other crops. One reason was the recalcitrance of sorghum to genetic modification via transformation. Recent improvements in sorghum transformation have largely overcome this barrier and offer an alternative approach to genetic improvements in sorghum (25).One of our objectives is to develop sorghum lines with enhanced and stabilized provitamin A (β-car...

Adding supplements to hen feed can increase egg nutritional value. Astaxanthin, tocotrienols, and tocopherols are potent antioxidants that provide health benefits to humans. We hypothesized that the addition of these nutrients to hen feed would result in an increased nutrient content in egg yolk with minimum changes in functional properties. Laying hens (Hy-Line W-36 breed) were fed four diets with different supplementation levels of palm toco concentrate and algae biomass containing astaxanthin for 8 weeks. Egg yolks were analyzed for physical, chemical, and functional properties. The feed with the highest nutrient concentration was also studied for stability of these antioxidants using the Arrhenius approach. No significant differences were observed in functional properties except for emulsification capacity and sensory characteristics among eggs from different diet treatments. Changes in egg yolk color reached the maximum values at day 8. Incorporation of tocopherols and tocotrienols increased until day 8, astaxanthin incorporation increased until day 10, and all decreased thereafter. Feed nutrients resulted in a dose-response relationship of these compounds in the egg yolk. The transfer efficiency ranged from 0 to 9.9% for tocotrienols and tocopherols and from 7.6 to 14.9% for astaxanthin at their peak values. Results of the Arrhenius accelerated stability study showed significant differences in the shelf life of various nutrients, and these results can be used to properly formulate and store the feed materials. Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60, no. 8 (2012): 1989-1999 ABSTRACT: Adding supplements to hen feed can increase egg nutritional value. Astaxanthin, tocotrienols, and tocopherols are potent antioxidants that provide health benefits to humans. We hypothesized that the addition of these nutrients to hen feed would result in an increased nutrient content in egg yolk with minimum changes in functional properties. Laying hens (Hy-Line W-36 breed) were fed four diets with different supplementation levels of palm toco concentrate and algae biomass containing astaxanthin for 8 weeks. Egg yolks were analyzed for physical, chemical, and functional properties. The feed with the highest nutrient concentration was also studied for stability of these antioxidants using the Arrhenius approach. No significant differences were observed in functional properties except for emulsification capacity and sensory characteristics among eggs from different diet treatments. Changes in egg yolk color reached the maximum values at day 8. Incorporation of tocopherols and tocotrienols increased until day 8, astaxanthin incorporation increased until day 10, and all decreased thereafter. Feed nutrients resulted in a dose−response relationship of these compounds in the egg yolk. The transfer efficiency ranged from 0 to 9.9% for tocotrienols and tocopherols and from 7.6 to 14.9% for astaxanthin at their peak values. Results of the Arrhenius accelerated stability study showed significant differences in the shelf life of vari...

Hens can efficiently transfer nutrients from their feed to the eggs. Tocotrienols (T3s) have various health benefits including lowering cholesterol. Annatto is the only known source of T3s without the presence of α-tocopherol; hence it can be used to study T3 transfer without the interference of α-tocopherol. In this study, hens were fed diets for 7 weeks containing annatto at 100, 500, or 2000 ppm (by weight) and also 2000 ppm annatto with 200, 600, or 1000 ppm of added α-tocopherol to study the effect of α-tocopherol on transfer of T3s. No significant differences were found in egg production or properties. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in transfer efficiencies of tocopherol and T3s to the yolks. α-Tocopherol was transferred more efficiently (21.19-49.17%) than γ-T3 (0.50-0.96%) or δ-T3 (0.74-0.93%). Addition of 1000 ppm of α-tocopherol decreased the amount of γ-T3 but did not impact the transfer of δ-T3 to the egg. These feeding treatments did not impact the cholesterol content of the eggs.

The impact of supplementing laying-hen feed with annatto tocotrienols (T3s) and alpha-tocopherol on the distribution of various forms of vitamin E and cholesterol throughout the hen's body was evaluated. A total of 18 organs or tissues (skin, fat pad, liver and gall bladder, heart, oviduct, forming yolk, laid yolk, lungs, spleen, kidney, pancreas, gizzard, digestive tract, brain, thigh, breast, manure, and blood) were collected after 7 wk of feeding on diets enriched with various levels of alpha-tocopherol and annatto extract that contained gamma-T3 and delta-T3. Tissue weights, contents of lipid, alpha-tocopherol, gamma-T3, delta-T3, cholesterol, and fatty acid composition of extracted lipids from the collected organs and tissues were determined. Tissue weight and lipid content did not change significantly with feed supplementation treatments, except that the liver became heavier with increased levels of supplementation. Overall, the main organs that accumulated the supplemented vitamin E were fat pad, liver and gall bladder, oviduct, forming yolks, laid yolks, kidney, brain, thigh, and breast. Much of annatto gamma-T3 and delta-T3 (> 90%) was found in the manure, indicating poor uptake. In some tissues (brain and oviduct,) a significant increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids was seen with increased supplementation. Alpha-tocopherol impacted the transfer of gamma-T3 to forming and laid yolks, but did not impact delta-T3 transfer. No significant differences were found in most of the tissues in cholesterol, except a reduction in heart, based on tissue as-is. Blood samples showed large variations in individual hens with no significant differences in total and HDL cholesterol, or total triacylglycerols. Supplementing feed with annatto T3s and alpha-tocopherol showed that the vitamin E profile and distribution of the laying-hen body can be altered, but to different extents depending on tissue. The result of this research has significance in enhancing meat nutrient content.