Process for separating 3-hydroxy steroids or sterols from mixtures such as lipids

摘要

A process for separating 3-hydroxy steroids from sterol concentrate mixtures by combining a solution of the sterol-containing mixture in a cosolvent of a dialkyl ketone and a low molecular weight alcohol with a slurry or solution of calcium bromide. The complexed sterols are isolated by filtration and the sterols can be subsequently liberated from the complex by treatment with an aqueous/alcohol and isolated by filtration and drying. The complexed sterols are of large particle size which allows rapid filtration.