Abstract
Shoots of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) were examined for the presence of 4-desmethylsterols. All shoots of chika (mini-tomato) and momotarou (normal type) were found by GC-MS to contain three Δ7-sterols (lathosterol, 24-ethyllathosterol, and avenasterol), nine Δ5-sterols (cholesterol, 24-methylenecholesterol, campesterol, 24-methyldesmosterol, stigmasterol, 24-ethylcnolesta-5, 25-dien-3β-ol, sitosterol, isofucosterol, and 24-ethyldesmosterol), and four C-5 saturated sterols (cholestanol, campestanol, Δ22-stigmastenol, and sitostanol). Each shoot was found to have very similar sterol profile: cholesterol, stigmasterol, sitosterol and isofucosterol were major setrol components in these shoots.
