Desmosterol

Desmosterol belongs to the sterol family and turns up across animal and plant foods: goat milk, sea urchins and wild palm oils all contain it, and researchers have even detected it in human milk. In the body it serves as an intermediate in cholesterol synthesis, so it is tracked as a biomarker of synthesis rates. It also appears in the unsaponifiable fraction of edible oils, where sterol profiles help authenticate oils and reveal adulteration. Though not a nutrient of direct dietary concern, measuring it sharpens lipid analysis.