Dioxin and furan contamination of deodorizer distillates and natural vitamin E supplements

Thirty-five samples of vitamin E supplement softgels, obtained from store shelves, were analyzed for 17 dioxin and furan congeners. Of these samples, 14 were identified as natural vitamin E, containing D-α-tocopherol, as well as lesser amounts of β-, α-, and δ-tocopherols, and the remaining 21 were labeled as synthetic vitamin E, containing a mixture of D- and L-α-tocopherol. The supplements were collected during the years of 2002 and 2004. The seven natural vitamin E supplements collected in 2002 were found to contain significant quantities of dioxins and furans, with an average total toxic equivalence (TEQ) of 0.79 pg/g, compared to 0.10 g/g for the 2004 natural vitamin E supplements. The 21 synthetic vitamin E supplements collected during the same time period showed little or no contamination, with an average TEQ of 0.057 pg/g. Eight samples of deodorizer distillate, from which natural vitamin E is derived, were also collected and analyzed. The distillates exhibit an overall congener pattern similar to that found in the natural vitamin E, but at a much higher average TEQ of 3.4 pg/g. This suggests the possibility of carryover of contamination to the vitamin E samples from the deodorizer distillate during the extraction process. The natural vitamin E supplements collected in 2004 have much lower levels of contamination, suggesting that improved extraction processes may be in use, effectively reducing contamination.