Triterpene alcohols and sterols of Spanish olive oil

Nine Spanish olive oils, including three each of virgin (pressed oil), refined virgin, and B‐residue (solvent‐extracted pomace oil) oils from different commercial sources, have been analyzed for their unsaponifiable matter (USM). Four sterolic fractions separated from the oils have been analyzed by preparative thin‐layer chromatography (TLC); these fractions are triterpene alcohols, 4‐methylsterols, sterols and triterpene dialcohols. The compositions of the four sterolic fractions were determined as their acetates by gas‐liquid chromatography (GLC) on an OV‐17 glass capillary column. Identification of each component was carried out by argentation TLC, GLC and combined gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS); 44 components were identified, of which four: 24‐methylene‐31‐nor‐9(11)‐lanostenol, 24‐methyl‐31‐nor‐E‐23‐dehydrocycloartanol, 24‐ethyl‐E‐23‐dehydrolophenol and 5,E‐23‐stigmastadienol, were considered to be new sterols from natural sources. Several characteristics, including the content of triteterpene dialcohols in the USM and that of C‐24(28) unsaturated sterols in each of the four sterolic fractions, which can be used to distinguish between virgin and B‐residue olive oils, were observed.