Abstract
Tocotrienols (T3) are minor plant constituents found abundantly in rice bran, which provide a significant source of vitamin E in animal feeds. T3 was reported to have an intrinsic hypocholesterolemic effect by inhibiting HMG-Co A reductase. It has similar antioxidative properties as tocopherols in food and biological system due to their similar chemical structures. However, the antioxidant activity and mechanism of T3 to scavenge free radicals and to inhibit the peroxidation of linoleic acid are less understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the scavenging effect of T3 on free radicals and its inhibition of peroxide formation. Free radical scavenging activity was monitored by the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) method whereas inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation was evaluated using the thiocyanate method. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test was used to determine malonaldehyde formation from linoleic acid peroxidation. Free radical scavenging activity increased with increasing concentration levels of T3. T3 exhibited 38.2, 78.6, 92.7 and 96.2% radical scavenging activity at concentrations of 2, 8, 32 and 128 ppm, respectively. At 128 ppm, it was highly effective in inhibiting linoleic acid peroxidation. The activity of T3 evaluated by the thiocyanate method showed low absorbance values indicating a high level of antioxidant activity. All treatments showed similar trends in antioxidant activity when evaluated by both the thiocyanate method and TBA test.