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beta-sitosterol
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beta-sitosterol

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Also known as β-sitosterol, 5-Cholesten-24-beta-ethyl-3-beta-ol, 3beta-Hydroxy-24-ethylcholest-5-ene, 24-Ethylcholesterol, β-Sitosterol

β-Sitosterol (beta-sitosterol) is one of several phytosterols (plant sterols) with chemical structures similar to that of cholesterol. It is a white, waxy powder with a characteristic odor, and is one of the components of the food additive E499. Phytosterols are hydrophobic and soluble in alcohols.

Wikidata facts

Mass
414.386166
Show 6 more facts
found in taxon
Pavonia malacophylla
chemical formula
C₂₉H₅₀O
canonical SMILES
CCC(CCC(C)C1CCC2C1(CCC3C2CC=C4C3(CCC(C4)O)C)C)C(C)C
isomeric SMILES
CC[C@H](CC[C@@H](C)[C@H]1CC[C@H]2[C@@H]3CC=C4C[C@@H](O)CC[C@]4(C)[C@H]3CC[C@@]21C)C(C)C
Commons category
Sitosterol
subject has role
primary metabolite
Sources (5)

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Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Natural occurrences and food
  • Human research
  • Genetic disorder
  • Precursor of anabolic steroid boldenone
  • Chemistry
  • Chemical engineering
  • Synthesis
  • Biosynthesis
  • See also
  • References

β-Sitosterol (beta-sitosterol) is one of several phytosterols (plant sterols) with chemical structures similar to that of cholesterol. It is a white, waxy powder with a characteristic odor, and is one of the components of the food additive E499. Phytosterols are hydrophobic and soluble in alcohols.

==Natural occurrences and food== β-Sitosterol is widely distributed in the plant kingdom. It is found in vegetable oil, nuts, avocados, and derived prepared foods such as salad dressings. Olavius algarvensis, a species of marine annelid, predominantly incorporate β-sitosterol into their cell membranes instead of cholesterol, though cholesterol is also present in said membranes.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “beta-sitosterol” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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