Tocopherols and Phospholipids Enhance the Oxidative Stability of Borage and Evening Primrose Triacylglycerols

The effect of individual phospholipids and tocopherols as well as their combinations on the oxidative stability of borage and evening primrose triacylglycerols (TAG) was investigated. Based on conjugated dienes (CD) and 2‐thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formed in borage and evening primrose TAG, the antioxidant effectiveness of phosphatidylcholine (PC), was higher than that of phosphotidylethanolamine (PE) in borage TAG while the reverse was observed for evening primrose TAG. Meanwhile, a synergistic effect between tocopherols and phospholipids in both borage and evening primrose TAG was noted. The most effective combination in borage TAG was that of PC and α‐tocopherol, while PE with α‐tocopherol exerted the best effects in evening primrose TAG. Therefore, the antioxidant effectiveness of phospholipids may vary depending on their fatty acid composition, nature of the functional groups and the chemical composition of the lipid system in which they are examined. The results also demonstrate the importance of minor components of vegetable oils on their oxidative stability.