PREPARATIVE SEPARATION OF β-SITOSTEROL BY HIGH SPEED COUNTERCURRENT CHROMATOGRAPHY

ABSTRACT

β-sitosterol was successfully separated and purified from both β-sitosterol standard (about 60% purity) and crude sterols using high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HSCCC) with a heptane–acetonitrile–ethyl acetate (5:5:1, v/v/v) solvent system. The purity of β-sitosterol product was improved to 97%, with the recovery being 50% for β-sitosterol standard and 45% for crude sterols, as indicated by HPLC analyses. Further mass spectrometric analyses confirmed the identity of the structures of the purified β-sitosterol products from crude sterols and β-sitosterol standard.

Keywords:

• Separation
• Purification
• Countercurrent chromato-graphy
• β-Sitosterol
• Campesterol
• Stigmasterol
• Phytosterol

Acknowledgments