Steryl ferulates are various phytosterols esterified to ferulic acid, present mostly in rice, wheat, rye and corn. Their content and composition however differs within different grains. After ingestion, they are thought to be immediately hydrolyzed by cholesterol esterase (present in pancreatin) into their ferulic acid and plant sterol moieties. These metabolites then exert their bioactivity in the gut, ferulic acid by being a potent antioxidant and sterols by displacing cholesterol from the mixed micelles, thus inhibiting cholesterol absorption. Further, non-hydrolyzed steryl ferulates reach the large intestine, where they might be cleaved by bacterial ferulic acid esterase.In our study, various molecular species of steryl ferulates are incubated with mammalian cholesterol esterase in the presence of bile salts. The enzyme seems to show a different affinity towards desmethyl and dimethyl sterols, indicating that the sterol composition of steryl ferulates could have an impact on the health promoting properties of the ingested grains.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of steryl ferulates

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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