Sterols in pumpkin seed oil

Abstract

Abstract and summary The sterol fraction of unsaponifiable matter obtained from a Yugoslav pumpkin seed ripening was investigated by gas liquid chromatography on a glass capillary column. It contained at least 14 different sterols ten of which were identified primarily by combined gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry as cholesterol, brassicasterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, 24‐methylcholest‐7‐en‐3β‐ol, Δ 7,22,25 ‐stimastatrien‐3β‐ol, α‐spinasterol, Δ 7,25 ‐stigmastadien‐3β‐ol, Δ 7,25 ‐stigmastenol, and Δ 7 ‐avenasterol. It was shown that the unidentified sterols in the oil obtained from a Chinese pumpkin seed were Δ 7,25 ‐stigmastadien‐3β‐ol, and Δ 7,22,25 ‐stigmastatrien‐3β‐ol,. There was practically no difference in the composition of Yugoslav and Chinese pumpkin seed oil, the main characteristic of which was the presence of Δ 7 ‐sterols as was already stated by Sucrow.