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Distribution pattern and influencing factors of dehydrated sterols: processing degradation of phytosterol
Jie Mi1, Mengyuan Zhou1, Mingyang Yuan1
1School of Food Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
Abstract:
Phytosterols (PS) in processed foods degrade into dehydrated sterols (DS) under the influence of food composition and processing. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the distribution pattern and influence factors of DS. The results of 16 commercial plant oils showed that the DS content ranged from 4.4 mg/kg to 2252.5 mg/kg with 3,5-sterenes as the predominant components, and deep processing would increase the apparent DS yield. Density functional theory analysis indicated that the dehydration of PS required external energy input, and 2,4,6-sterenes exhibited greater steroid nucleus stability than 3,5-sterenes. It was then verified that 2,4,6-sterenes accumulated with a concomitant decrease in 3,5-sterenes, which could serve as a marker for severe heat treatment in lipid-rich matrices. Therefore, in order to reduce the degradation of PS into DS, lower heating temperatures and reaction times should be selected during food processing, and the influence of PS and fatty acid types should be considered.
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