Fats are foods that have a very high calorie value. 1 grams of protein and carbohydrates (eg sugar) contain 4 calories, whereas 1 grams of fats contain 9 calories. The main function of fats in metabolism is to be the building block of cell membrane and to store energy. If the amount of saturated fatty acids in an oil is high, it is solid at room temperature and is generally harmful to human health. Increases bad cholesterol and triggers heart disease. There are fatty acids around 30 in the human body. The lack or excess of these causes some metabolic problems.

Sterols are present in the non-saponifying substance and are like fingerprints of oils. The sterol composition of all oils is different. Fatty acids and sterol composition are made to determine whether other vegetable oils are mixed with vegetable oils. Since sterols are part of the non-saponifying material, it is necessary to separate the sterols. For this purpose, thin layer chromatography method is used during the tests.

Sterols are located in the cell membrane and regulate the fluidity and function of the cell. Different organisms use different sterols. For example, animals have cholesterol, phytosterol and steroid hormones. The main source of phytosterols is nuts, oil seeds, legumes and vegetables. Phytosterols in the composition of foods have been found to lower good cholesterol (LDL) in the human body. Today, plant sterols are particularly effective in the fight against cholesterol. In fact, cholesterol is generally one of the sterols in all animal and vegetable tissues. The most important sterol in animal tissues is cholesterol. Today, sterols in animal tissues reduce the adverse effects of sterols on human health. Plant sterols are therefore increasingly important.

In authorized laboratories, sterol composition determination studies are carried out between chemical food analyzes. In these analyzes, standards and test methods published by domestic and foreign organizations are followed.