α-Tocopherol is known to show different activity depending on the concentration and food matrix. Effects of α-tocopherol at the concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mM were determined in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing anionic, neutral, and cationic emulsifiers under different types of oxidative stress including riboflavin photosensitization, photooxidation, and autoxidation. Headspace oxygen depletion, lipid hydroperoxides, and conjugated dienes were analyzed to determine the oxidative stability of O/W emulsions. α-Tocopherol served as an antioxidant in O/W emulsion with a cationic emulsifier irrespective of oxidative stress. α-Tocopherol acted as an antioxidant in O/W emulsion with a neutral emulsifier at riboflavin photosensitization while a prooxidant at photooxidation. However, in samples with an anionic emulsifier, α-tocopherol activity differed from the concentration and types of oxidative stress. Therefore, cationic transition metals or reactive oxygen species generated from RF photosensitization could play key roles of α-tocopherol in O/W emulsion.
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