Targeted analysis confirmed the presence of new phytosterol degradation products in fully hydrogenated commercial samples. EI-MS, APCI-MS, and 1D-NMR experiments led to the identification of 10 novel markers of catalytic hydrogenation, among which 5α-sitostan-3-one and 5α-campestan-3-one, isomers of saturated and monounsaturated steroidal hydrocarbons, were reported in edible oils for the first time. Examination of the phytosterol degradation mechanism was done by the catalytic transfer deuteration technique. The mitigation strategy of potentially detrimental compounds included optimization of processing parameters. The effect of catalyst dosage (≤0.1% based on Ni basis) and temperature region (>180 °C) were the most crucial factors in phytosterol degradation control.
Keywords: 5α-campestan-3-one; 5α-sitostan-3-one; hydrogenation; palm oil; phytosterols; steroidal hydrocarbons.