Formulation of phytosterols in emulsions for increased dose response in functional foods

Phytosterols can significantly reduce cholesterol levels in humans. However, their dose response is strongly formulation dependent. Due to their insolubility in water and poor solubility in oil and their surface activity, the formulation in functional foods of unesterified noncrystalline phytosterols with an expected dose response even higher than the esterified phytosterols commonly applied today proved problematic. Supersaturating phytosterols with a crystallization inhibitor in the oil phase of an o/w emulsion in a special process combines high phytosterol concentrations with the potential of strongly increased dose response. In two formulations, no crystallization was observable in stability investigations over a period of 60 days. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.