The formation of stigmasta-3,5-diene (STIG) in vegetable oils from beta-sitosterol was investigated. previously, analytical methods for STIG determination were developed and verified. For virgin olive oil and crude vegetable oils, the usual oil production processes (pressure, centrifuging and solvent extraction) and long term storage did not produce measurable amounts of STIG, except in the case of crude olive pomace oils where small quantities arose as a result of the high temperature applied to the solid residues during the drying operation. The influence on STIG generation of variables affecting the refining processes was studied. Although minor amounts of STIG appeared after only heating the oil, this compound was produced mainly during the bleaching earth treatment. The decoloration temperature and the bleaching earth activity were the most important variables involved in STIG formation. After deodorising, carried out under normal conditions, the refined olive oils retained measurable amounts of STIG. The refining of other vegetable oils with high beta-sitosterol content (such as sunflower, rapeseed and soya oils) also rendered considerable amounts of STIG. These results support the method based on STIG determination for detecting low percentages of refined vegetable oils in virgin olive oils and crude seed oils.
