Phytosterols and γ-Oryzanol as Cholesterol Solid Phase Modifiers during Digestion.

Literature reports that ingestion of phytosterols and γ-oryzanol contributes to cholesterol lowering. Despite in vivo observations, thermodynamic phase equilibria could explain phenomena occurring during digestion leading to such effects. To advance the observations made by previous literature, this study was aimed at describing the complete solid-liquid phase equilibrium diagrams of cholesterol + phytosterol and γ-oryzanol systems by DSC, evaluating them by powder X-ray, microscopy, and thermodynamic modeling.