Phytosterols are important structural components of plant cells that affect membrane fluidity, permeability, and membrane-related metabolic regulation. These compounds, which are abundant in vegetable oils and corn kernel oil, are also beneficial for human health. Cultivation of corn (Zea mays L.) produces huge amounts of cobs as a by-product, but efforts to utilize cobs are still limited. Here, we investigated phytosterol, crude oil, and fatty acid contents in the kernels and cobs of four major corn cultivars in South Korea and explored the potential use of cobs as a source of phytosterols. Total phytosterol levels were two times higher in cobs (68.0–217.1 mg 100 g−1 DW) than in kernels (43.8–89.5 mg 100 g−1 DW) and were highest in the kernels and cobs of Sinhwangok at 60 days after pollination. We showed that not only kernels but also cobs can be a rich source of phytosterols. The results also revealed that the amount of phytosterol is depending on a genetic background as well as developmental stages suggesting further investigation would enhance the utilization of corn cobs as a phytosterol source.

中文翻译：

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玉米芯中的高植物甾醇水平表明它们作为营养来源的可持续利用

植物甾醇是植物细胞的重要结构成分，影响细胞膜的流动性、渗透性和与细胞膜相关的代谢调节。这些化合物在植物油和玉米仁油中含量丰富，也对人体健康有益。玉米（Zea mays L.）的种植会产生大量的玉米棒子作为副产品，但利用玉米棒子的努力仍然有限。在这里，我们调查了韩国四种主要玉米品种的籽粒和玉米棒中的植物甾醇、原油和脂肪酸含量，并探索了玉米棒作为植物甾醇来源的潜在用途。玉米穗轴的总植物甾醇水平（68.0-217.1 mg 100 g-1 DW）是籽粒（43.8-89.5 mg 100 g-1 DW）的两倍，授粉后60天在新黄谷的籽粒和玉米穗轴中最高。我们表明，不仅玉米粒而且玉米芯也可以是植物甾醇的丰富来源。结果还表明，植物甾醇的含量取决于遗传背景和发育阶段，这表明进一步的研究将提高玉米芯作为植物甾醇来源的利用率。