Tocochromanol Profiles in Chlorella sorokiniana, Nannochloropsis limnetica and Tetraselmis suecica Confirm the Presence of 11′-α-Tocomonoenol in Cultured Microalgae Independently of Species and Origin

11′-α-Tocomonoenol (11′-αT1) is structurally related to vitamin E and has been quantified in the microalgae Tetraselmis sp. and Nannochloropsis oceanica. However, it is not known whether 11′-αT1 is present in other microalgae independent of species and origin. The aim of this study was to analyze the tocochromanol profiles of Chlorella sorokiniana, Nannochloropsis limnetica, and Tetraselmis suecica and to determine if 11′-αT1 is present in these microalgae. Cultured microalgae were freeze-dried and the presence and identity of α-tocomonoenols were confirmed by LC-MS(n) (liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy) and GC-MS (gas chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy). Tocochromanol profiles were determined by HPLC-FLD (liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection) and fatty acid profiles (as fatty acid methyl esters; FAME) by GC-MS. As confirmed by LC-MS(n) and GC-MS, 11′-αT1 was the dominant αT1 isomer in cultured microalgae instead of 12′-αT1, the isomer also known as marine-derived tocopherol. αT1 represented less than 1% of total tocochromanols in all analyzed samples and tended to be more abundant in microalgae with higher proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In conclusion, our findings confirm that αT1 is not restricted to terrestrial photosynthetic organisms, but can also accumulate in microalgae of different species, with 11′-αT1—and not the marine-derived tocopherol (12′-αT1)—as the predominant αT1 isomer.