In a study published in the journal Food Quality and Safety on 23 August 2023, researchers from Zhejiang University introduced a methodology designed to scrutinize the levels of β-sitosterol present in edible oils.
With a primary focus on virgin camellia oil (VCO) and virgin olive oil (VOO), this novel approach holds promise for transforming authentication processes in the food sector. Instead of relying on the conventional methods, the team adeptly harnessed the power of both gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID).
What makes this methodology particularly commendable is its ability to effectively bypass some of the traditionally cumbersome stages of analysis. Specifically, it eradicates the need for processes such as solid-phase extraction cartridges and thin-layer chromatography. Furthermore, the method has rendered derivatization—a previously crucial step in the determination process—wholly unnecessary.
The culmination of these advancements results in a streamlined approach that markedly accelerates the procedure, while simultaneously minimizing the potential for errors due to reduced sample handling. The study also ventured beyond just introducing a new method. Delving deep into the comparative analysis of β-sitosterol in VCO and VOO, the findings were enlightening.
VCO was found to contain a range of 14.1–30.2 mg/100 g of β-sitosterol, while VOO displayed a substantially higher concentration, ranging from