| Project Detail |
The aim of this project is to use exchange of staff on an international and inter-sectoral basis to investigate the impact of consumption of novel nature-identical RRR-a-tocopherol in animal models on nutritional quality of animal-derived foods and in human models on bioavailability and circulating stereoisomers, and in doing so to foster a culture of research and innovation that will underpin new innovative products, services and processes in the area of animal and human nutrition. Vitamin E is represented by a suite of 8 compounds – 4 tocopherols (a, ß, ?, d) and 4 tocotrienols (a, ß, ?, d). The main function of vitamin E is as an anti-oxidant, preventing free radical-mediated lipid oxidation, particularly of membranal lipids. a-Tocopherol is the most biologically active form but a-tocopherol itself exists in 8 stereoisomeric forms arising from the 3 chiral centres it contains, RRR, RRS, RSR, RSS, SSS, SSR, SRS and SRR. Of these RRR-a-tocopherol is the most biologically active form.
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