Vitamin E content of different animal products: influence of animal nutrition

The alpha-tocopherol content of different meat cuts was examined. Chicken thigh had the highest vitamin E content, followed by chicken breast and pork shoulder (p < 0.05). The lowest concentrations were found in longissimus dorsi muscle from pork, beef, veal and in beef shoulder. Considering the average daily lean meat consumption (105 g) in Switzerland, recommendation for daily vitamin E intake was met to 3%. Supplementation of 200 mg alpha-tocopherol acetate/kg feed to pigs and laying hens significantly increased the alpha-tocopherol content in all examined products. The alpha-tocopherol accumulation differed according to the following ranking: egg yolk > liver > adipose tissue > musculus longissimus dorsi. The alpha-tocopherol:energy ratios were 28.8, 7.3, 0.9 and 1.2 mg/MJ for egg yolk, liver, adipose tissue and longissimus dorsi muscle of the vitamin E supplemented groups, respectively. The results showed that meat, with the exception of chicken thigh, is not an important supplier of vitamin E, not even from animals fed a vitamin E enriched diet. Egg yolk became a good source of vitamin E for human nutrition by dietary modification.