α-Tocopherol, total vitamin A and total fat in margarines and margarine-like products

Consumersʹ interest in dietary guidelines advising them to reduce their intake of fat has contributed to the development of new low- and fat-free margarine-like products. We measured vitamin E (α-tocopherol) and vitamin A (retinol and /gb-carotene) in margarines and margarine-like products labeled as containing 0–80% fat. Test portions were saponified, extracted with petroleum ether, and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Margarines of approximately 80% fat content contained 4–30 IU /ga-tocopherol/100 g. Reduced-fat margarines (fat content 14–53%) contained 4–15 IU α-tocopherol/100 g, while fat-free margarines (<1% fat) contained <1 IU α-tocopherol/100 g. α-Tocopherol in the products varied both with total fat content and with the vegetable oil ingredients. Total vitamin A measured in margarine products fell between 59 and 196% of label declarations.