The aim of this study was to characterize the composition of soybean germ and its oil from Northeast (NE-SG) and Shandong Province (SD-SG) of China with a focus on the composition of fatty acids and phytosterols as well as physicochemical properties.

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The stability of soybean germ phytosterols (SGPs) in different lipid matrixes, including soybean germ oil, olive oil, and lard, was studied at 120, 150, and 180 °C. Results on the loss rate demonstrated that SGPs were most stable in olive oil, followed by soybean germ oil, and lard in a decreasing order. It is most likely that unsaturated fatty acids could oxidize first, compete with consumption of oxygen, and then spare phytosterols from oxidation. The oxidation products of SGPS in non-oil and oil systems were also quantified. The results demonstrated that at relatively lower temperatures (120 and 150 °C), SGPs’ oxidation products were produced the most in the non-oil system, followed by lard, soybean germ oil, and olive oil. This was consistent with the loss rate pattern of SGPs. At a relatively higher temperature of 180 °C, the formation of SGPs’ oxidation products in soybean germ oil was quantitatively the same as that in lard, implying that the temperature became a dominative factor rather than the content of unsaturated fatty acids of lipid matrixes in the oxidation of SGPs.