Novel Synthesis of Steryl Esters from Phytosterols and Amino Acid

Abstract

The feasibility of esterification of phytosterol with the amino acid l-glutamic acid was established. The influence of various organic solvents was investigated, and n-butanol was selected as an ideal solvent for phytosteryl esters synthesis with l-glutamic acid. The reaction conditions were further optimized by orthogonal experiments, and a 92.3% degree of esterification was obtained when optimum conditions were used. FT-IR spectral, GC-MS, and NMR analyses were adopted to determine the steryl esters of l-glutamic acid. The FT-IR spectrum indicated the presence of ester bonds in the phytosteryl esters with l-glutamic acid, and on the basis of the detailed mass spectrography analysis, GC-MS and NMR offered an efficient and reliable way to confirm the steryl esters. This novel synthesis approach of phytosteryl esters with amino acid supplied a promising alternative to the substrate on esterification of phytosterols and thus can be readily applied to further studies of functional food ingredients of phytosteryl esters.