ORIGINAL PAPER Determination of Coenzyme Q 9 and Q 10 in Developing Palm Fruits Mei Han Ng Æ Yuen May Choo Æ Ah Ngan Ma Æ Cheng Hock Chuah Æ Mohd. Ali Hashim Received: 8 March 2008 / Revised: 19 December 2008 / Accepted: 23 December 2008 / Published online: 24 January 2009 Ó AOCS 2009 Abstract A series of biochemical changes took place as oil palm fruits developed into maturity. Among these are the active synthesis of glycerides as well as unsaponifiable compounds such as carotenes, vitamin E, sterols and squalene. Coenzyme Q 9 and Q 10 were found to be present at different stages of the oil palm fruits development. The presence of coenzyme Q 9 was detected as early as 4 weeks after anthesis (WAA) and its concentration diminished as the oil palm fruits ripen. Coenzyme Q 10 on the other hand, can only be detected from 12WAA onwards and its con- centration remained at an elevated level throughout the remaining development period of the oil palm fruits. Their occurrence pattern suggested that there is a strong rela- tionship between the concentration of coenzyme Q 9 and coenzyme Q 10 with the age of the oil palm fruits. Keywords Coenzyme Q  Palm fruits  Glycerides Introduction As oilseeds develop into maturity, their chemical constit- uents change with different stages of development. Biosynthetic changes of oil constituents such as triglycer- ides, diglycerides and monoglycerides in plants or oilseeds are well documented [1–5]. In most plants, the formation and accumulation of oil normally begin after the husk, shell and endosperm are already formed [6, 7]. The fruiting behavior of oil palm fruits also shows a similar pattern [8–10]. It has been reported that the oil palm fruits start to develop at approximately 2 weeks after anthesis (WAA) and it takes about 20 weeks to ripen thereafter [8, 10]. The fruits’ maturation process proceed with noticeable bio- chemical and morphological changes [8–12]. Among the biochemical changes in the developing palm fruits include the composition of unsaponifiable matter such as carotenes, chlorophyll, tocopherols and tocotrienols [8–12]. These changes are in agreement with the changes observed in other oilseeds such as sunflower seeds and olive oil [1, 13, 14]. This study reports on the occurrence of coenzyme Q 9 and Q 10 at different stages of the developing palm fruits. The coenzyme Q 9 and Q 10 were reported to be present at about 5 and 10–80 ppm respectively,in crude palm oil [15–19]. Molecular structures of coenzyme Q 9 and Q 10 are depicted in Fig. 1. The presence of these coenzymes Q are of particular interest as coenzyme Q 10 has been shown to exhibit beneficial health properties such as being antioxi- dant, giving relief from angina, lowering the risk of heart attack as well as boosting the immune system [20–24]. Materials and Methods Oil Palm Fruits Palm fruits aged 4, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 weeks after anthesis (WAA) were obtained from the Malaysian Palm M. H. Ng (&)  Y. M. Choo  A. N. Ma Malaysian Palm Oil Board, 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia e-mail: meihan@mpob.gov.my C. H. Chuah Chemistry Department, Science Faculty, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Mohd. A. Hashim Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 123 J Am Oil Chem Soc (2009) 86:201–205 DOI 10.1007/s11746-009-1345-z