Stability of Aqueous and Oily Vitamin A Acetate and Carotene Solutions

Abstract

Vitamin A acetate or β-carotene in dilute aqueous Tween 40 or cottonseed oil solutions with α-tocopherol or nordihydro-guaiaretic acid (NDGA) as anti-oxidants are essentially quantitatively retained after 50 days of storage under nitrogen at 7°C. in the dark. Tocopherol affords slightly better protection to the aqueous preparations than does NDGA. In the absence of anti-oxidants, vitamin A acetate is stable for 28 days in aqueous solutions with either Tween 40 or Tween 80, whether stored under air or nitrogen. The stability of carotene under similar conditions is high in Tween 40 stored under nitrogen, but falls rapidly in Tween 40 under air or in Tween 80 whether stored under nitrogen or air.