| Popis: |
Vitamin E is a term that encompasses the same biological activity of the structurally similar compounds tocopherols and tocotrienols, and maize grain, as the main component of animal diet, is their important source. Bioaccessibility represents the fraction of tocols released from the grain matrix and available for absorption by the animal. The aim of this study was to determine the content of individual and total tocols and their bioaccessibility from the grain of 105 commercial maize hybrids in a model that mimics digestion in the stomach and small intestine of monogastric animals. The average tocol content in the tested hybrids was 4.1, 25.0 and 0.7 μg/g DM for α-, γ- and δ-tocopherol, respectively, and 0.9 and 2.2 μg/g DM for α- and γ-tocotrienol, respectively. The average bioaccessibility values decreased in the order: δ-tocopherol (54%), γ-tocotrienol (53%), γ- tocopherol (46%), α-tocopherol (40%) and α- tocotrienol (36%) and bioaccessibility of total grain tocols ranged from 27 to 87%. The content of released tocols in the tested hybrids increased with the increase of their content in the grain (P < 0.001), however, bioaccessibility decreased (P < 0.001), indicating that the efficiency of tocol release from the grain matrix and their micellization decreased the higher the grain tocol content was. Despite the recorded variable values of bioaccessibility, the obtained results indicate that only about half of the tocols present in the grain is available for absorption by the animal. |
