Increasing the vitamin E content of food by in-plant production.
2012
Farré, G. | Zorrilla, U. | Zhu, C. F. | Christou, P. | Capell, T.
Vitamin E is a group of eight, lipid-soluble molecules known as tocochromanols, featuring a conserved head group and an aliphatic side chain. They are produced by plants and some cyanobacteria, and act as free-radical scavengers in mammals to prevent lipid oxidation. The different isomers of vitamin E can be classed as tocopherols or tocotrienols depending on the chemical conformation of the side chain. The natural isomer alpha-tocopherol (RRR-alpha-tocopherol) is more active than synthetic vitamin E, making it the most effective natural form of the vitamin. The composition of vitamin E differs widely among plant species and varieties, and many crops have been bred or engineered to increase their vitamin E levels. In this review, we discuss strategies to increase vitamin E levels and alter the vitamin E composition in plants, and present case studies that demonstrate the impact of these strategies in different crops.
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