Degradation of Cholesterol in Egg Yolk by Rhodococcus equi No. 23

The degradation of egg yolk cholesterol was investigated with Rhodococcus equi No. 23, a strain previously isolated from butter. R. equi No. 23 was inoculated into culture media (10 mL) containing egg yolk at various levels (0.2 to 1.4g) and grown with continuous shaking at 37°C for varying time periods. Egg yolk cholesterol was degraded via 4‐cholesten‐3‐one into nonsteroid compounds with almost no accumulation of steroid intermediates, as detected by thin‐layer chromatography.