Antioxidant activity of mediterranean plant leaves: Occurrence and antioxidative importance of α‐tocopherol

α‐Tocopherol was identified as the main antioxidant in hexane extracts of leaves of sixteen Mediterranean plant species. The α‐tocopherol content was determined by a two‐step procedure involving column and gas chromatography with α‐tocopherol acetate as internal standard. The tocopherol content of the extracts was in the range of 0.0–4.7%, and that of the dry leaves was 0–846 ppm. The highest α‐tocopherol content was found in the leaves of a Mediterranean oak, Quercus ilex . The antioxidative activity, which was previously investigated, was correlated with the α‐tocopherol content. Correlation coefficients were 0.947 and 0.904 for extracts and leaves, respectively.