IJournals: International Journal of Research in Drug & Pharmaceutical Science

(IJRDPS)

Volume 1 Issue 1 June 2017

Influence Of Light On Α-Tocopherol

Content In Sesamum Indicum
Nigrum (Black Sesame) Oil Used In
Ayurvedic Formulations
Author: Mazahir Raza
R&D Centre , AMA Herbal Laboratories (P) Ltd, Lucknow ,India 226017

Email- mraza@amaherbal.com

Keywords - Sesame , sesamum, α-tocopherol, Introduction

sesami ,oil, autoxidation
Sesamum indicum nigrum ,Black sesame oil is also
Abstract has pharmaceutical name Semen Sesami is used as
an pharmaceutical ingredient in various ayurvedic
Sesamum indicum nigrum ,Black sesame seed oil is
massage oils .It contains linoleic acid that gives both
base oil of all ayurvedic massage oil
antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
formulations.Sesame oil reduces inflammatory
properties .Sesame oil is found to have vitamin Ein
activity in skin. It is also regarded as valuable in the
very high amountsand it is implicated with medicinal
remedy of eczema, other infections and preventing in
benefits for dermal care .Sesame oil reduces
various kinds of skin allergies.Black sesame seed oil
inflammatory activity in skin. It is also regarded as
contains rich amount of α-tocopherol. In Ayurvedic
valuable in the remedy of eczema, other infections
medicine, sesame oil (til tel) is also used
and preventing in various kinds of skin allergies. It is
for massaging as it is believed to rid the body of heat
important to be aware of the risks of improper
due to its viscous nature upon rubbing. The
storage of sesame oil on its α-
tocopherol content of oil also increases storage life
tocopherolcomposition .During short term storage α-
by protecting lipids from autoxidation The purpose
tocopherol in sesame oil may be satisfactory;
of this study is to determine the effect oflight on the
however adverse storage conditions will quickly
alpha tocopherol of sesame oil. Often the storage
cause the oil to deteriorate. Due to the high medicinal
conditions quickly reduces alpha tocopherol in oil.
value of sesame oil compared to other oils, it is
The α-tocopherol in sesame oil can deteriorate so
important the oil is stored in conditions which will
much that it can no longer be of medicinal use.This
maintain the initial quality characteristics. Predicting
study measured changes in the sesame oil when
the shelf life of the sesame oil is a complex process
stored at exposure to light over a three year period.
because of the influence of several factors such as
This study determines useful methods for the
temperature, light and oxygen availability.Extending
prediction of a “use-by” or “best-before” date for
the shelf life of sesame oil is important for the benefit
sesame oil.
of the consumer but also for the long term viability of
the producer. The assessment of stability of oil in
terms ofα-tocopherolcompositionis important for the
prediction of shelf life and used-by-dates.

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 IJournals: International Journal of Research in Drug & Pharmaceutical Science
Measurement of α-tocopherolcomposition can assist
in predicting the stability of oil.
Material and methods
Black sesame oil samples with a wide range in
quality composition were obtained which represent a
range of sesame oils produced in India. α-tocopherol
content of different Black sesame oil samples was
tested. Three oil samples were selected for study.
LE -Low α-tocopherol content ,ME -Medium α-
tocopherol content ,HE -High α-tocopherol content
Each oil sample was transferred in both dark glass
and clear glass bottlesand stored at 27°C
To determine the effect of the storage light
conditions on the black sesame oil quality over time,
oils were tested after 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months .
Table 1 Initial composition of α- tocopherol in
Black sesame oils used in this study
α- tocopherol
SAMPLE
mg/kg oil
LE 249
ME 241
HE 290
α-tocopherol content in black sesame oil was
determinedas per ISO-9936:2006 (E): Animal and
vegetables fats and oils – Determination of
tocopherol and tocotrienol contents by high-
performance liquid chromatography.
2 g of oil sample was weighed into a 25 mL
volumetric flask, and made up to volume with
© 2017, IJournals All Rights Reserved
(IJRDPS)
Volume 1 Issue 1 June 2017
hexane. The samples were filtered and transferred to
HPLC vials. The α-tocopherol concentration was
determined by HPLC, with hexane:isopropanol
(99:1) as the mobile phase, with a flow rate of 0.9
mL/minute. A columnC 18 (250 x 4.60 mm) was
used. The peaks were measured using a UV detector
set at 292 nm. A calibration curve was used to
calculate the α-tocopherol, which was expressed as
mg/kg oil.
4. Results and discussion
Assay of α-tocopherol were carried out to know the
changes in all oil samplesdue to the deterioration in
quality of the oil on exposure to light.It is found that
exposure to light had a significant effect on the α-
tocopherol content of the oils in .Immediately after
the oils were stored, those exposed to light declined
at a rapid rate for the first 6 months of storage.
Following this, the α-tocopherol content decreased at
a far slower rate. All oils showed a similar pattern.
As an example, sample ME had an initial α-
tocopherol content of 241 mg/kg, which decreased to
155 mg/kg after 6 months storage exposed to light.
From the six months storage time until the final
analysis point at 36 months storage, the α-tocopherol
content dropped to 120 mg/kg. Other two samples
exposed to light showed a similar pattern. The
samples stored away from light showed a general
linear decline. Oil ME decreased from 241 mg/kg to
201 mg/kg after 36 months storage .
When exposed to light tocopherols act as both
electron donors, which slow oxidation, and
electron acceptors which quench singlet oxygen,
the consequence of which is the inhibition of
photo-oxidation (oxidation due to light). Singlet
oxygen formed during photo-oxidation is 1000-
1500 times more reactive that the triplet oxygen
taking part in oxidation due to oxygen. Therefore
there is a greater decrease in tocopherols in the
samples exposed to light. These results suggest
that in the presence of light oil is protected from
oxidation mainly by tocopherols and that
polyphenols only have a secondary role
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 IJournals: International Journal of Research in Drug & Pharmaceutical Science
(IJRDPS)

Volume 1 Issue 1 June 2017

Fig 1 .Effect of exposure to light on αtocopherol content in three samples of Black Sesame oil.

Figure 2 : α-tocopherol at initial analysis and after 36 months, closed and exposed to light for
different types of sesame oil

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 IJournals: International Journal of Research in Drug & Pharmaceutical Science
LE- Low α-tocopherol; ME- Mid α-tocopherol; HE- High α-tocopherol
5. Conclusion
As the results of this study show, storage light
conditions had a significant effect on the α-
tocopherolquality and shelf life of Black
Sesame oil. Measurement of the α-tocopherol
level could be a very good indicator of aging
in Black Sesame oil , to evaluate shelf life and
use by date for sesame oil. The results of
individual tests need to be carefully evaluated
in conjunction with other analyses to evaluate
the status of sesame oil. This work can be
used to determine use-by dates for sesame oil,
based on the initial composition of α-
tocopherol in the black sesame oil, and the
conditions which the oil will be stored under.
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Volume 1 Issue 1 June 2017
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