Analysis method of phytosterol constituents from vegetable to facilitate product
development

In 2003, The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved food
that contains at least 400 mg plant sterol eaten twice with meals for a daily total intake of
at least 0.8 g, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. This recommendation is
part of an effort to reduce the risk of heart disease. In this study, four types of phytosterol
constituents which include stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmastanol have
been used as standard reference since all the secondary metabolite constituents were
reported widely found in vegetables. For analysis purposes, all the constituents were
extracted either using solid-liquid extraction or liquid-liquid extraction. In the case of a
solid sample, solid-liquid extraction with chloroform as a solvent is more suitable, while
for a liquid sample, liquid-liquid extraction is more favourable. The detection of the
phytosterol constituents was conducted via a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer
(GCMS). The developed method will be useful for screening and selection of potential
vegetables with phytosterol for food product development. In addition, the method could
be used for monitoring batch to batch production of products in order to ensure quality.