Phytosterols

• Phytosterols are plant sterols structurally similar to cholesterol that act in the intestine to lower Cholesterol absorption.
• Phytosterols are widely employed in different sectors: As food additive, In medicine, In pharmacy,  In biotechnology, In cosmetics.
• The intake of naturally occurring phytosterols ranges between ~150-450 mg/day depending on eating habit.
• Free phytosterols extracted from oils are insoluble in water, relatively insoluble in oil, and soluble in alcohols.
• The most commonly occurring phytosterols in the human diet are β-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol which account for approximately 65%, 30% and 3% of diet contents,respectively.