Sterols in pumpkin seed oil

Abstract and summary The sterol fraction of unsaponifiable matter obtained from a Yugoslav pumpkin seed ripening was investigated by gas liquid chromatography on a glass capillary column. It contained at least 14 different sterols ten of which were identified primarily by combined gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry as cholesterol, brassicasterol, campesterol, stigmasterol, 24‐methylcholest‐7‐en‐3β‐ol, Δ7,22,25‐stimastatrien‐3β‐ol, α‐spinasterol, Δ7,25‐stigmastadien‐3β‐ol, Δ7,25‐stigmastenol, and Δ7‐avenasterol. It was shown that the unidentified sterols in the oil obtained from a Chinese pumpkin seed were Δ7,25‐stigmastadien‐3β‐ol, and Δ7,22,25‐stigmastatrien‐3β‐ol,. There was practically no difference in the composition of Yugoslav and Chinese pumpkin seed oil, the main characteristic of which was the presence of Δ7‐sterols as was already stated by Sucrow.