Abstract: A novel process for the recovery of tocopherols and sterols from natural, especially vegetable, sources. This process is especially a process for the separation of tocopherols and sterols from deodorizer sludges by distillation of these deodorizer sludges, in that prior to the distillation the sterols present in the deodorizer sludge are esterified with the fatty acids which are also present, the resulting mixture is distilled to obtain residual fatty acids and subsequently to obtain tocopherols, whereby the sterol esters formed in the esterification remain in the residue of this distillation, and then the tocopherols are isolated from the distillate and the sterols, after cleavage of their esters, are isolated from the distillation residue.

Abstract: A novel process for the concentration of natural tocopherols and/or steroids in materials derived from natural sources by treating this material with calcium hydroxide in the presence of water in an inert water-miscible organic solvent and subsequently separating from this material the thus-formed calcium salts.

Abstract: The novel sunscreen agents which are esters, namely esters of p-methoxy-cinnamic acid with d,1-.alpha.-tocopherol, pantolactone or panthenol.

Abstract: A novel process for the manufacture of the furanone of the formula ##STR1## is described. In this process, a diol is firstly reacted with thionyl chloride, then the sulphite formed, optionally after oxidation to the corresponding sulphate, is treated with sodium cyanide and the resulting hydroxynitrile is hydrolyzed.The furanone of formula I can be used as a starting material for the manufacture of R-(-)-pantolactone.