Vitamin E characterization in Castanea sativa Mill. cultivars from three consecutive years: a useful authenticity discrimination factor.

Vitamin E profiles of selected (2006-2008) Castanea saliva Miller (chestnut) cultivars (Aveleira, Boaventura, Judia and Longal) belonging to the Protected Designation of Origin "Castanha da Terra Fria" were evaluated. Vitamin E is an important lipophilic antioxidant with essential effccts in living systems against aging, strengthening the immune system and reducing cancer risk, reducing viral load in HIV -infected persons or in the treatment of Parkinson-syndrome. The analyses were conducted in NP-HPLC coupled to a multiwavelenght diode array detector connected with a fluorescence detector.