Ergot secale cornutum ErgotErgota spurred rye extract ergosterol ergosterin Ergosterol Standard Hydr

Ergosterol is a membrane component and with few exceptions is restricted to eumycotic fungi (101). As a constituent of intact membranes, its abundance should reflect the amount of living fungal biomass in an environment. 

1. Most important of the provitamins D. Usually obtained from yeast which synthesizes it from simple sugars such as glucose.

2. Ergosterol may be used to study the function of anti-fungal drugs such as Amphotericin B and its analogues and to study the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway within various fungi. It acts as a useful indicator of living fungal biomass

3. Ergosterol is a steroid alcohol that when irradiated with ultraviolet light yields calciferol (vitamin d2). irradiated ergosterol is added to milk for vitamin d fortification