TOKYO (Nikkei) 12/21/2001--The Osaka Municipal Technical ResearchInstitute said Thursday that it has developed a way to mass-producecholesterol-lowering sterol ester from the byproducts generated in theproduction of soybean oil and other vegetable oils.

The new process was developed in cooperation with Yashiro Co., a maker ofprocessed fats and oils.

Sterol ester is a type of oil that helps lower blood cholesterol levels bykeeping cholesterol from being absorbed across the intestine. It isproduced as a byproduct in the manufacture of vegetable oils, but isnormally incinerated as industrial waste because it is difficult toseparate from other byproducts.

In the new process, a special yeast enzyme is used to process thebyproducts, enabling the sterol ester to be separated and refined to apurity exceeding 90%. The technology can extract 7 tons of sterol esterfrom 20 tons of vegetable oil byproducts.

(The Nikkei Business Daily Friday edition)