Patent ID: 8318962

Claim:
A process for recovering sterols from a crude source containing free sterols and their esters, which process comprises: (a) saponifying the crude source containing sterol esters to form free sterols; (b) extracting the free sterols of (a) with an organic solvent to yield an extract of a crude sterol concentrate containing from about 70 to 80% sterols by weight and fatty alcohols; (c) removing the fatty alcohols from the extract to an amount of 7% or less of fatty alcohols remaining in the extract; (d) crystallizing the extract of (c) with a solvent mixture of a C1-C10 hydrocarbon solvent present in an amount of about 60 to 99.9% by weight of the mixture, a C1-C10 alkanol present in an amount of about 0.1 to 20% by weight of the mixture, and water present in an amount of about 0.1 to 20% by weight of the mixture, to form crystallized sterols; and (e) recovering the crystallized sterols of (d) at a purity of at least 98%.