New Functional Food Additive:Phytosterol
2024-04-30
Phytosterols are a class of substances based on cyclopentane tetrahydrophenanthrene as the backbone, structurally similar to animal sterols such as cholesterols, and exist in free or bound states in nature. Plant sterols are a class of natural physiological active substances that are very beneficial to the human body and are known as the "key to life".
1. Phytosterol Source
Phytosterols are widely present in plants and are abundant in seeds, vegetable oils, vegetables, and fruits. Different plant species have different levels of phytosterols. Plant oils and oily foods are the main natural sources of phytosterols, followed by grains, grain products, and nuts.
At present, 40 major sterols have been found in plants, with the most common and abundant being beta sitosterol, rapeseed sterol, stigmasterol, beta sitosterol, rapeseed sterol, etc. Plant sterols can inhibit the absorption of cholesterol by the human body, promote the degradation and metabolism of cholesterol, and inhibit the biochemical synthesis of sterols. In recent years, research has confirmed that plant sterols also have good antioxidant properties and can be used as food chemicals.
2. Four truths about Phytosterol
Phytosterol is a type of cholesterol that promotes good and eliminates evil, and it is an active ingredient. Being able to "identify" good and bad cholesterol in the blood. Plant sterols can occupy the position of bad cholesterol in the intestine and promote its excretion, thereby reducing the content of total cholesterol and bad cholesterol in the blood
NO.2
The interesting way of "intelligent management" of phytosterols is that only when the human body consumes cholesterol above 400-450mg per day, phytosterols will "work", demonstrating their role in blocking cholesterol levels. This means that if the human body's own cholesterol intake is not very high, phytosterols will not affect the absorption of cholesterol, thereby helping the body maintain normal levels of cholesterol.
Phytosterol cannot be synthesized by the human body, and the only way to obtain them is through diet. However, the average daily intake of phytosterols in people's diet is only 200-400mg, which cannot achieve the effect of lowering cholesterol. In response to this situation, experts suggest increasing the intake of phytosterols through multiple dietary channels.
NO.4
Plant sterols are a "good helper" for balanced diet. In recent years, countries around the world have added a certain amount of plant sterols to daily foods such as bread, yogurt, milk, edible oil, and orange juice according to the dietary habits of local residents, which has effectively supplemented the human body with plant sterols.
3. Phytosterols Characteristic
(1). Structure similar to cholesterol
Plant sterols have a similar structure to cholesterol in animals, but there are slight differences in the number of carbon atoms, position and quantity of substituents between the two. Due to their similar structure, phytosterols can compete with cholesterol for absorption, thereby reducing the content of cholesterol in the blood.
(2). Lowering cholesterol
Plant sterols can reduce the cholesterol content in the body and compete with cholesterol absorption in the intestine, resulting in a decrease in cholesterol absorption rate. This function is very beneficial because high cholesterol is one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease. The cholesterol lowering effect of plant sterols has been widely confirmed and has been clinically applied.
(3). Helps prevent cancer
Phytosterols can reduce the synthesis of carcinogen in human body and their damage to cells, thus playing a role in preventing cancer. Therefore, plant sterols are widely used in many anticancer studies.
(4). Brain strengthening and intellectual enhancement
Plant sterols can promote the development of the nervous system and are crucial for the intellectual development of infants and young children. Plant sterols can enhance the growth and development of neurons, enhance the autonomous control and learning abilities of the brain.
(5). Anti aging
Plant sterols have excellent antioxidant properties, which can eliminate free radicals and slow down cell aging. Meanwhile, plant sterols have a good protective effect on the immune system, which can enhance the body's immune system and delay the aging process.
4. Development prospects
Plant sterols are a very promising nutritional ingredient that has been proven to have many benefits for human health, including lowering cholesterol, preventing cancer, enhancing brain health, and combating aging. In the European and American markets, phytosterols have been widely used and have great development prospects.
Firstly, consumers' awareness of phytosterols is constantly increasing. With the increasing emphasis on health education, more and more people are paying attention to their diet and health issues. The cholesterol lowering effect of plant sterols is increasingly recognized by people, so the demand for plant sterol based functional foods in the European and American markets will continue to increase.
Secondly, the policy environment is increasingly improving. In the European and American regions, government departments have been promoting the supervision of food safety and health products, providing strong support for safeguarding consumer health. At the same time, the policy also provides good support to the production and sales enterprises of plant sterols, which has played a positive role in meeting market demand and promoting the promotion of plant sterol products.
Thirdly, the application fields of plant sterols are constantly expanding. At present, plant sterols are not only widely used in the fields of functional foods and health products, but also in various fields such as medicine, cosmetics, and bioengineering. This not only broadens the application fields of plant sterols, but also promotes the continuous expansion of the market for plant sterols.
Overall, phytosterols have great development prospects in the European and American markets. Although strict standards and restrictions need to be met, as long as enterprises can develop high-quality products that meet market demand and strengthen brand promotion and marketing, it is believed that the market prospects of phytosterols will be even broader.
