Palm oil is a good source of micronutrients (sometimes called phytonutrients as they are plant-based). The micronutrients constitute about 1% of crude palm oil. Vitamin E is the most abundant micronutrient of palm oil. Other prevalent micronutrients found in palm oil are carotenes, phytosterols, squalene, coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone), phospholipids (lecithin) and polyphenols. Palm-based vitamin E, also known as tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) has been used as a dietary supplement in the form of soft gel capsules, but there is relatively little information about its contribution when processed into a chewable tablet. Stability of the micronutrient during storage is a critical factor to be considered. Based on the general instability of vitamins, endogenous and added vitamins can suffer substantial losses during storage prior to consumption. The retention of vitamin E in the palm-based TRF chewable tablet after one-year storage at ambient temperature was 92.6%. The excellent retention of vitamin E in the chewable tablet was most plausible due to the use of powdered (microencapsulated) palm-based TRF which managed to protect the bioactive component from direct exposure to chemical and physical reactions, thus protecting the bioactive ingredient from degradation. This study indicates that powdered palm-based TRF has good stability during storage and it can be effectively delivered via a chewable tablet form to consumers.

Keywords: chewable tablet, palm-based tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF), palm-based vitamin E, palm-based vitamin E stability in chewable tablet