Composition of tocochromanols in kernels recovered from different sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cultivars: RP-HPLC/FLD and RP-UPLC-ESI/MSn study

Tocochromanols profile in kernels recovered from fruit pits of seven sweet cherry (Prunus avium L., family: Rosaceae) cultivars was studied. Four tocopherol homologues (α-T, β-T, γ-T, and δ-T) were quantified in all tested samples by RP-HPLC/FLD method. The RP-UPLC-ESI/MSn analyses allowed to detect trace amounts of two tocotrienol homologues (α and γ). The concentration of individual tocopherol homologues in kernels of different sweet cherry cultivars, expressed in mg/100 g dwb, was in the follow range: 3.03–4.96 (α-T), 0.01–0.11 (β-T), 32.26–37.51 (γ-T), and 0.95–1.69 (δ-T). The γ-T was the main tocopherol homologue identified in sweet cherry kernels and constituted approximately 88 % of total detected tocochromanols. The percentage composition of the individual tocopherol homologues in kernels of different sweet cherry cultivars was comparable.