Tocopherols in sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) berry oil

The free tocopherol content in whole berries of six sea buckthorn cultivars grown in northeastern Poland and Belorussia was determined with HPLC. The total free tocopherol content in oil from whole berries was 101.4-128.3 mg/100 g of oil. a-Tocopherol was the predominant tocopherol of sea buckthorn berries, and only traces of 7-tocopherol were detected in the oil. alpha- and delta-Tocopherols constituted 62.5-67.9% and 32.1-37.5% of total tocopherol, respectively. The total free tocopherol content in oil of sea buckthorn cv. Nadbaltycka increased during maturation from 40.4 to 109.8 mg/100 g of oil. Green berries contained a marked amount of gamma-tocopherol, but its content rapidly declined to traces when the color of berries turned from green to olive-yellow.