7α and 7β‐Hydroxycholesterols Formed in a Dry Egg Nog Mix Exposed to Fluorescent Light

Light‐induced generation of two cholesterol oxidation products, 7α‐ and 7β‐hydroxycholesterol, was measured in an egg nog mix using an improved isolation procedure and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Dry egg nog mix was exposed continuously to fluorescent light at room temperature for 90 days. The 7α‐hydroxycholesterol was formed in consistently greater amounts than the 7β‐form. Amounts of both forms increased for up to 80 days (23 ± 2°C), then declined. Mix stored in the dark did not contain detectable amounts of 7α‐ or 7β‐hydroxycholesterol. Purification techniques enabled HPLC quantification of cholesterol oxidation products in a food.