Campesterol cocoa

Measurement of the proportions of the major cocoa butter sterols have been proposed as a purity check for cocoa butter and for chocolate by Garcia Olmedo and Diaz Marquina (1974) who suggested limit values for the ratios of campesterol, sitosterol and stigmasterol. 

Kamm el al. (2001) analysed intact steryl esters in the presence of silylated sterols by online transfer from HPLC to a 15 m low-polarity high temperature GC column. Steryl esters were quantified against a cholesteryl laurate internal standard and identified by offline thin layer chromatography-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. When esters of sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol with the major cocoa butter acids were measured in cocoa butters from South America, Asia and Africa, no differences were apparent between cocoa butters of different geographical origin, or between deodorized and non-deodorized butters. 

Increases in the price of cocoa butter have led to a search for alternative fats for use in manufacturing chocolate. Biino and Carlisi suggested determining illipe butter in cocoa butter blends by measuring the sigmasterol/campesterol ratio and the POS/POP and SOS/POP triglyceride ratios. 

Plant lipids contain 0.15-0.9% sterols, with sitosterol as the main component (Table 3.52). In order to identify blends of fats (oils), the data on the predominant steroids are usually expressed as a quotient. For example, the ratio of stigmas-terol/campesterol is determined in order to detect adulteration of cocoa butter. As seen from Table 3.53, this ratio is significantly lower in a number of cocoa butter substitutes than in pure cocoa butter. The phytosterol fraction (e. g. sito- and campesterol) has to be determined in order to detect the presence of plant fats in animal fats. 

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