Description
This procedure specifies a method for a gas chromatographic determination of the contents and compositions of plant stanols and plant sterols in phytosterol enriched foods. The method can also be applied to phytosterol fatty acid ester ingredients being either plant stanol or plant sterol fatty acid esters. These two sample categories are the main application fields of this method. The method can also be applied to measure cholesterol content of phytosterol enriched foods. Furthermore, naturally present phytosterol contents in vegetable oils and foods can be measured by applying this method with some limitations. E.g. purification of 4-desmethyl sterol fraction may be necessary if the sample contains 4-methyl and 4,4-dimethyl sterols. Also the conditions applied to extract phytosterols after saponification may require further optimization.