The prevalence of metabolic syndrome, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes has been
increasing rapidly in Chile in recent years. The rate of increase has paralleled the replacement
of traditional Mediterranean diets, which emphasize vegetables and fruits, with the fast food
that now prevails, which has patterns rich in saturated fat. It is well-established that high
phytosterol intakes can lower total and LDL cholesterol concentrations in human serum.
Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz (Elaeocaepaceae), a 4–6 m tall evergreen tree with yellow
flowers and edible black-coloured fruit, grows in central and southern Chile and in southwest
Argentina and is typically consumed fresh or used to make jam, tea, wine, and juice. A.chilensis
can also be used as a source of phytosteroles, which led us to begin our investigation into these
compounds. To do so, a method based on GC-MS for separating, quantifying and identifying
the phytosterols present in Aristotelia chilensis extracts was described. Our study shows that
the main phytosterol found was β-sitosterol. Furthermore, the use of Aristotelia chilensis as a
food supplement is also discussed.