Improvement of physicochemical properties of reduced-cholesterol butter by the addition of β-sitosteryl oleate.

Beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) has been shown to successfully lower the cholesterol content of dairy products, such as butter, but the process tends to negatively impact the overall quality and consistency. In this study, β-sitosterol, which is similar in structure as cholesterol, was reacted with oleic acid to form β-sitosteryl oleate (BSO), and this was used to improve the consistency of reduced-cholesterol butter. The reaction was catalyzed by sodium bisulfate (2%, w/w) at 140 °C, and the highest degree of esterification (94.