Sterol Composition of Bulgarian Soya and Corn Oils

The free sterols, the sterol esters and the sterol glycosides of the raw soya and corn oils as well as those of the technical lecithin and the deodorizer distillate of the latter oils were isolated by preparative TLC. The composition of each of the isolated sterol derivatives was determined by GLC and MS. Sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and an unknown sterol with a molecular weight of 428 are contained in almost all of the examined fractions of the soya oil and its refinement byproducts. Dehydrocampesterol is present in the free sterols of the raw soya oil and the soya lecithin. Stigmasterol is contained in the soya deodorizer distillate in high amounts. It was established that cholesterol was present in the sterol esters of the raw soya oil in high amounts. Δ7-stigmastenol occurs only in the sterol esters of the latter oil. Sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol are the main components of all sterol fractions of the corn oil and its refinement products. Dehydrocampesterol and unknown sterols with molecular weights of 428 and 430 are present in the free sterols of the raw corn oil. Some sterol glycosides of the soya and corn lecithin are esterified with the same major fatty acid components of the glycerides, palmitic acid being the main one. The fatty acid composition of sterol esters of the raw soya and corn oil roughly corresponds to the fatty acid composition of oils.