In this study, genetically modified (GM) soya bean seeds with the event known as Roundup Ready1 were
used for the production of soya bean oil and their fatty acid, phytosterol and tocopherol composition was
characterised. Since these compounds can be partially lost during refining, this study also aimed at
evaluating the compositional changes along the GM soya bean oil extraction and refining processes
carried out industrially. During the refining process of crude soya bean oil, neutralisation was responsible
for the major losses on phytosterols (15%). The greatest reduction of tocopherols was also caused by the
neutralisation step (20%), while the deodorisation step caused minor losses (9%). Along the refining
process, the decreases of total phytosterols and total tocopherols were 20 and 30%, respectively, which
are lower than the losses reported in other studies, reflecting the industrial improvements in preserving
beneficial health compounds in the refined oil. The results showed that the refined GM soya bean oil
presented higher contents of phytosterols (313 mg/100 g) and tocopherols (931 mg/kg) comparing to
other reports.
