Tocotrienols are naturally found in the plant kingdom such as barley, rice, rye, wheat and oats. Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is the richest source of tocotrienols (up to 800 mg/kg) and comprises of 78% tocotrienols and 22% tocopherols. Originating from Western Africa, oil palm is widely grown in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Many people use palm oil which is extracted from the mesocrap of the palm fruit for culinary purpose. And in recent years, the use of palm oil as a trans-fat free vegetable oil in food industry has been gaining substantial popularity especially in the America.
Although tocotrienols can be found in edible natural products, it is of great concern that whether these dietary sources provide sufficient quantity of tocotrienols to human. In general, one has to consume about 80g of palm oil or 1.5 to 4.0 kg of wheat germ, barley or oats to attain the biologically effective tocotrienols levels. With this consideration, it is thus suggested that dietary supplements may play an important role in helping one to achieve the biological effective dosage for general wellness.