SUMMARY
Reduction and/or exploitation of byproducts from the extraction and refining industry of vegetable oils is a current need. One of these, known as Soybean Oil Deodorizer Distillate (SODD), has a potential value in the food and pharmaceutical industries by the presence of compounds with a favorable biological activity such as phytosterols and squalene, the first as hypocholesterolemic agents and squalene as emollient and moisturizer. In this work, gas chromatography was used to determine squalene, free (FP) and esterified (EP) phytosterols in SODD, in order to study the feasibility of using this as a source of such compounds and also for stablishing if the provenance of the soybean (American or national), its crop condition (Drought or Normal, 2011 and 2012 respectively) and the quality level of the oil (Generic or Premium) are determinant factors in the compound’s content in the by product. The SODD represents a viable source of total phytosterols (TP), 14.92% w/w, but not of squalene, 1.75% w/w. Also, the concentration of squalene in SODD is influenced by the provenance of soybean and crop conditions, while degree of oil quality and crop conditions affect the concentration of EP. The concentration of TP was not affected by any of the studied factors. This allows establishing that the composition of the SODD is not constant and protocols such as this study is justified for its characterization for purpose of its use.