Sterol lipids in finger millet (Eleusine coracana).

Neutral lipids, glycolipids, and phospholipids (1.3%, 0.25%, and 0.10% of seed wt.) were isolated from the total lipids (chloroform-methanol) of finger millet seeds (Eleusine coracana), and 4 sterol-containing lipids further isolated from neutral and glycolipids by preparative column and TLC. On seed wt., these comprised: free sterols (S) 0.091%, sterol esters (SE) 0.13%, sterol glycosides (SG) 0.025%, acyl sterol glycosides (ASG) 0.020%, and total 0.149%. The major fatty acids, totalling 85-90%, were the same in both esterified sterols, but the proportions varied: 16:0, 18:1, and 18:2 comprising 24, 49, and 17% in SE (calculated I value 75) and 43, 36 and 7% in ASG (calculated I value 46). All 4 sterol lipids contained 80-84% of beta-sitosterol, the remainder being stigmasterol. The only sugar in SG and ASG was D -glucose. It is deduced that the major representative spp. are: SE, beta-sitosterol oleate/palmitate; SG, beta-D -glucopyranosyl- (13)-beta-sitosterol; and ASG, 6-0-palmitoyl-beta-D -glucopyranosyl-(13)-beta-sitosterol.