Solution: Determination of Sterols in Vegetable Oils by Gas Chromatography

Release Date：2026-06-23

Plant oils are not only essential for daily cooking but also a vital source of nutrition. Among them, phytosterols, as natural active compounds, have garnered significant attention in recent years. Phytosterols help reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) in the blood, thereby contributing to cardiovascular health. Clearly labeling or understanding the sterol content in products is crucial for consumers pursuing a healthy diet and serves as a fundamental basis for developing functional oil products. Different plant oils (e.g., corn oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, olive oil) exhibit distinct sterol compositions (such as β-sitosterol, sitosterol, erucosterol, etc.) and varying concentration ranges. Determining total sterol content is a key method for identifying oil types, detecting adulteration, and assessing the degree of oil refining (as refining can lead to loss of certain sterols).