Abstract
Studies have reported that cholesterol, a molecule found mainly in animals, is also present in some plants and algae. This study aimed to determine whether cholesterol exists in three dehydrated algae species, namely, Pyropia tenera, Saccharina japonica, and Undaria pinnatifida, and in one plant species, namely, Perilla frutescens (four perilla seed oil samples were analyzed). These species were chosen for investigation because they are common ingredients in East Asian cuisine. Gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) analysis found that cholesterol was present in P. tenera (14.6 mg/100 g) and in all four perilla seed oil samples (0.3–0.5 mg/100 g). High-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light-scattering detection (HPLC-ELSD) also demonstrated that cholesterol was present in P. tenera (14.2 mg/100 g) and allowed the separation of cholesterol from its isomer lathosterol. However, cholesterol could not be detected by HPLC-ELSD in the perilla seed oil samples, most likely because it is only present in trace amounts. Moreover, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) confirmed the presence of cholesterol in both P. tenera and perilla seed oil. MRM results further suggested that lathosterol (a precursor of cholesterol) was present in P. tenera.
Highlights
Cholesterol is an unsaturated alcohol belonging to the steroid family of compounds [1,2], whose amphiphilic character, imparted by the hydroxyl group (OH), helps to regulate the membrane fluidity of cells [3,4]
Cholesterol content is required to be shown on nutrition facts labels and should only be marked as zero when its content is less than 2 mg/100 g of food [14]
The motivation behind this study was to investigate whether cholesterol, a type of lipid that is a well-known component of animal cells, is present in non-animal organisms
Summary
Cholesterol is an unsaturated alcohol belonging to the steroid family of compounds [1,2], whose amphiphilic character, imparted by the hydroxyl group (OH), helps to regulate the membrane fluidity of cells [3,4]. Despite a lack of evidence confirming this link between dietary cholesterol intake, blood vessel cholesterol levels, and risk of heart disease, it is generally recommended that cholesterol intake is kept below mg/day [13]. For this reason, cholesterol content is required to be shown on nutrition facts labels and should only be marked as zero when its content is less than 2 mg/100 g of food [14]. To improve our understanding of cholesterol presence in non-animal organisms, it is necessary to clarify these contradictory findings
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