Comparison of antioxidant activities of tocol and its methyl derivatives

Abstract
In tests with purified menhaden oil at 37C and with squalene at 37C and 50C, unsubstituted tocol, 7,8-dimethyl tocol (γ-tocol), and 8-methyl tocol (σ-tocol) were superior antioxidants to 5,7-dimethyl tocol and 5,7,8-trimethyl tocol (α-tocol). In contrast to previous reports, there were no differences in the order of the activities of the tocopherols at different temperatures.