About Dr. Tan
Dr. Barrie Tan is the world's leading research scientist and expert on Vitamin E. His passion led him to the discovery of Tocotrienols from Rice, Palm and Annatto. Dr. Tan has spent over 35 years studying and understanding plant based sources of Vitamin E, and his discovery of the superior most form of Vitamin E (tocotrienols) has added another feather to his cap.
The First Source of Tocotrienols
In 1983, Dr. Tan found the first source of Tocotrienols on his visit to Palm oil plantations back in his hometown Malaysia, from the Palm itself. The brightly coloured pigments known as Carotenoids were separated as a byproduct during the manufacturing process of the crude oil from Palm.
A curiosity driven research led Dr.Tan to the discovery of a new variant of the molecule of Vitamin E, which possessed high antioxidant properties known as Tocotrienols which was significantly distinguished from the Tocopherol category. There on, he began publishing his work on his new discovery.
Further research led to another plant based source of the same Tocotrienols from rice in 1995.
The year 1999 was truly the year of a groundbreaking discovery for Dr. Tan. He had taken a minor break from Vitamin E and was working on another project that aimed to extract lutein and zeaxanthin from the marigold flower; he found another plant-based source which contained the most potent and superior form of Tocotrienols.
He noticed Annatto plantations just thirty feet away from the marigold, and to his surprise found the deep red pigmented seeds without any flesh, retaining the colour. His curiosity led him to studying this new plant further, only to discover it contained Vitamin E, with only Delta and Gamma Tocotrienols!
Dr. Tan likes to refer to Annatto as a ‘One Plant Wonder’ because it is the purest source of the most potent form of antioxidant - Tocotrienol. He not only discovered the source, but also developed an affordable and eco-friendly method to extract the Tocotrienols from the Annatto plant. Currently Tocotrienols have been studied and used in various health conditions such as Skin health, Metabolic health, Bone health and even Cardiovascular health. Various clinical studies have proven the benefits of Tocotrienols, especially when there is an absence of Tocopherols.
We as Wellness Extract have joined Dr. Tan’s mission to continue the research and development of natural health products. He has developed an array of patents and intellectual property which truly makes him a sought-after scientist and innovator. He is an international speaker and has been invited to present at various respected conferences including IFT, ADA, ASN, IHS, A4M, NPA, AACR, ICIM, AOCS, IAOMT, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
At present, Dr. Tan is dedicated to in-depth research for developing phytonutrients which potentially aim to help chronic health conditions. His mission is to improve the everyday lives of people through scientific and evidence based nutrition supplements such as Eannatto DeltaGold Tocotrienols.