Sterols are a class of naturally occurring compounds found in plants, animals, and fungi. They are a type of lipid,
structurally similar to cholesterol, and play essential roles in various biological processes.
The most well-known sterol is cholesterol, which is primarily found in animal tissues, but there are several other sterols
with important functions as well.
Plant sterols, also known as phytosterols, are commonly found in the cell membranes of plants. The two main types of plant sterols
are sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. These sterols have a similar structure to cholesterol but with slight variations.
Plant sterols are naturally present in various plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and oils.
Sterols, both animal and plant-derived, have important physiological functions in the body.
Examples of some common sterols found in herbal leaf extracts are provided below:
Beta-Sitosterol
- This is one of the most prevalent plant sterols found in herbal extracts. It is structurally similar to cholesterol and can be found
in various plant sources, including herbs like saw palmetto, pygeum, and stinging nettle.
Campesterol - This sterol has been investigated for its potential
cholesterol-lowering effects and may contribute to the cardiovascular health benefits associated with plant sterol consumption.
Stigmasterol - Found in various herbal extracts, including those derived from
soybeans, fenugreek, and black cohosh. It has been studied for its potential anti-inflammatory and hormone-modulating effects.
Delta-7-Sitosterol - A plant sterol found in certain herbal extracts, including
those derived from saw palmetto and pumpkin seeds. It is often associated with potential benefits for prostate health.
Other Plant Sterols - Brassicasterol, avenasterol, and stigmastanol,
are examples of other sterols that can be found in herbal leaf extracts.
Examples of some common sterols found in bark are provided below:
Beta-Sitosterol
- A very common plant sterol that has been studied for its potential benefits for heart health and its anti-inflammatory properties.
Stigmasterol - Also found in some bark extracts,
stigmasterol has been researched for its potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Campesterol - This sterol, found in the bark of some trees,
has been studied for its potential cardiovascular benefits.
Cycloartenol - This is a precursor of other plant sterols and is involved in the
biosynthesis of steroidal saponins and other complex molecules in plants.
Below are listed some examples of some seeds in which sterols are found:
Sunflower Seeds
- These seeds contain a significant amount of plant sterols, particularly beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol.
Sesame Seeds - These are
another good source of plant sterols, including beta-sitosterol and campesterol.
Pumpkin Seeds - Contain a variety of plant sterols,
with beta-sitosterol being the most abundant.
Flaxseeds (Linseeds) - Their sterols include beta-sitosterol, campesterol,
and stigmasterol.
Rapeseeds (Canola) - Canola oil, derived from the seeds of the
canola plant, is a rich source of plant sterols, including sitosterol, campesterol, and brassicasterol.
Examples of some sterols found in brown seaweed are listed below:
Fucosterol
- This is one of the most abundant sterols in brown seaweeds. It has been studied for its potential health benefits,
including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Ergosterol - Present in some brown seaweeds,
for example Ecklonia cava, common in Korea and Japan, contains sterols ergosterol as well as fucosterol.
Brassicasterol - Present, alongside fucosterol,
in ascophyllum nodosum (Knotted Wrack).
Campesterol - Found in Sargassum fulvellum, among other brown seaweed species.
Saringosterol - This sterol is also found in Sargassum and has been studied
for its potential health benefits.
24-Methylenecholesterol - Has been found in Sargassum species, such as
Sargassum muticum and Sargassum fusiforme (also known as Hijiki seaweed).
Examples of some sterols found in green seaweed are listed below:
Fucosterol
- While more common in brown seaweeds, fucosterol is also found in some green seaweed species, such as Ulva lactuca.
Cholesterol - This sterol has been detected in
Caulerpa lentillifera (also known as "sea grapes" or "green caviar") and in Codium fragile
(commonly referred to as "green sea fingers" or "dead man's fingers").
Campesterol - Has been found in species such as Ulva lactuca and Caulerpa lentillifera.
Beta-sitosterol - This sterol has been identified in Ulva pertusa.
The extraction process, including the solvents and methods used, can influence the concentration and types of sterols present in the final extract.
It is often the case that a balance needs to be found between fully-extracting all sterols while also ensuring that the compounds that are
obtained are of a high quality and not degraded.
At Celignis we have extensive experience in the design and optimisation of extraction protocols for a wide variety of chemical constituents from
many different biomass types. If needed we can also work on processes to separate and purify the target compounds.
Click here to read more about Celignis's Bioprocess Development Services for the extraction of
chemicals from biomass.
€1.6m Funding Success for Celignis in 2024 CBE-JU Calls
We have secured funding for involvement in 4 collaborative research projects
We are delighted to announce that Celignis has been successful in 4 project proposals submitted for funding to the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) programme.
These projects will provide funding of 1.6m EUR to Celignis over the next few years and build upon the 3 projects (worth 1.5m EUR) we secured last year and the 4 previous CBE/BBI projects that Celignis participated in.
Details on the projects are provided below:
WoodVALOR - This RIA project concerns the valorisation of contaminated/post-consumer wood waste (WW) via: (i) thermal conversion to biochar; and (ii) fractionation followed by conversions to paints & coatings ingredients. Celignis is involved in the chemo-enzymatic fractionation of decontaminated wood (DW) to sequentially extract/purify lignin and hemicellulose, and in developing hemicellulose-based emulsifiers/stabilizers and binder monomers for industrial formulations. Additionally, Celignis is involved in metals/mineral recovery from decontamination wastewater using
New Publication from a Celignis Bioprocess Development Project
The article, available in "Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery" is entitled "Process development for efficient pectin extraction from tobacco residues and its characterisation"
We are please to announce the publication of a peer-reviewed scientific article based on some of the research outputs of a Bioprocess Development Service (BDS) project undertaken by Celignis.
The article, entitled "Process development for efficient pectin extraction from tobacco residues and its characterisation" details the results of experiments targeting the optimised extraction of pectin from the laminae of a number of different varieties of tobacco plants. These tobacco-derived pectins were found to have a medium molecular weight and low methoxy content and our findings indicated that this feedstock could be suitable for the production of pectin with dietary applications.
Meeting takes place at the coordinator's (ITA) headquarters in Zaragoza, SPAIN
Celignis personnel are today attending the kick-off meeting of the CBE-JU project MANUREFINERY at the facilities of the project's coordinator (ITA) in Zaragoza, Spain.
MANUREFINERY concerns the development of a small, decentralised, modular biorefinery concept for farms that converts manure and ammonia emissions into seven marketable bio-ingredients (animal-feed proteins, caproic acid, and fertiliser salts/ashes). The solution integrates fixed/mobile units across three valorisation lines (gas, liquid, solid) and a digital twin for optimisation and scale-up, targeting TRL6-7 validation on four EU demo farms.
Celignis has a number of key roles in the project, including:
- Comprehensive analysis of the feedstocks and products of the process.
Meeting takes place at the coordinator's (AIMPLAS) headquarters in Valencia, Spain
PROMOFER, is an Innovation Action project funded by the CBE-JU, under topic HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IA-03 (Improve Fermentation Processes (Including Downstream Purification) To Final Bio-Based Products).
This project started in June 2024 with Celignis, an SME partner and full industry BIC member, playing a pivotal role in the project. Our core activities include undertaking the pre-treatment and hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass at scaled-up (TRL7, 1 m3) volumes. The resulting sugars are then provided to other partners for downstream fermentations.
Today Celignis's CIO Lalitha is attending the kick-off meeting of the project, at coordinator AIMPLAS's headquarters in Valencia, Spain.
We're attending the kick-off meeting for BIONEER in Trondheim, Norway (SINTEF)
Lalitha is attending the kick-off meeting of our CBE-JU project BIONEER, located at the coordinator's (SINTEF) premises in Trondheim, Norway.
BIONEER has the title "Scaled-up Production of Next-Generation Carbohydrate-Derived Building Blocks to Enhance the Competitiveness of a Sustainable European Chemicals Industry". It is a 4-year Innovation Action project with 7.5m EUR of funding provided by the CBE-JU.
Celignis plays a key role in BIONEER, being responsible for the scaled-up (TRL7) production of platform chemicals.
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