Identification and Estimation of Tocotrienols in Hevea Latex

THE four tocotrienols related to α-, β-, γ- and δ-toco-pherols have been reported to be present in palm oil 1 (Table 1). Some of these compounds are not distributed widely; in fact, palm oil has hitherto been the only known source of δ-tocotrienol. This communication reports the presence in a sample of latex from the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis , of a surprisingly large amount of free and esterified α-, γ- and δ-tocotrienols together with a much smaller amount of α-tocopherol.