Phytosterols (plant sterols) are cholesterol-like molecules found in plants, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Lipofoods’ microencapsulated phytosterol products function to lower cholesterol.
Why use microencapsulated phytosterols in your brand?
High-cholesterol is a major risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease. Studies have suggested that a 10% decrease in levels of cholesterol can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 19-54%, depending on the person’s age.
To achieve this, daily consumption of just 1.5g – 3g of plant sterols can decrease low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol by 8-15% in 2-3 weeks.
The cholesterol lowering effect of plant sterols is well-documented in literature. Due to their insolubility in water and lipids, the incorporation of phytosterols in food and drink formulations has been very challenging. This problem can be addressed by microencapsulating the phytosterols.
Bad cholesterol reduction with Lipophytol™
In a study, serum analyses were determined for LIPOPHYTOL™ and raw phytosterols diets to assess their activity on levels of LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol.
LIPOPHYTOL™ and raw phytosterols restored the levels of LDL-colesterol and HDL-colesterol in HV diet-animals.
Easy incorporation of phytosterols into the food matrices
LIPOPHYTOL™ is a dispersible form of plant sterols (from soy or pine tree origin), which has been microencapsulated to facilitate their incorporation in food matrices.
A comparison of Lipofoods microencapsulated phytosterols (Lipophytol™) verses free phytosterols and sterol esters demonstrated its superior dispersibility and easy incorporation into final products.
In accordance with approval from the EU, phytosterols can be used in yellow fat spreads, milk, yoghurt, soya drinks, rye bread and cheese.
