Process for the preparation of high purity phytosterols

• Main Authors: SOBANKUMAR DAS RETNA, RAJAM LEELAVATHY, SUDARESAN ANDIKKANNU, YOHESH KANNAN, ARUMUGHAN CHAMI, NAIR SREEJA SADASIVAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.12.2009
• Subjects: ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES AND WAXES; CANDLES; CHEMISTRY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATERTREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT; DETERGENTS; ESSENTIAL OILS; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLICBEVERAGES; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PERFUMES; PRODUCING (PRESSING, EXTRACTION), REFINING AND PRESERVINGFATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES (e.g. LANOLIN), FATTY OILS AND WAXES,INCLUDING EXTRACTION FROM WASTE MATERIALS; STEROIDS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES

The present invention provides an isolation process of the pure sterols from the SODD by simple acid catalyzed esterification and the separation of the reagents by distillation and water washing followed by the crystallization of phytosterols and purification. Soybean oil deodorizer distillate (SODD) and distillate from other vegetable oil refining contain free sterols, in addition to steryl esters, tocopherols squalene and unknown compounds. The process is also applicable to other vegetable oil distillate containing more than 1% phytosterols in the free form. Phytosterols thus obtained is of high purity (95-99%) and high yield (80-90%) and contains beta-sitosterol, Stigmasterol and campesterol.