ergosterol, a white crystalline organic solid of the molecular formula C28H44O belonging to the steroid family. It is found only in fungi (e.g, Saccharomyces and other yeasts and Claviceps purpurea, the cause of ergot, a fungal disease of cereal grasses) and is chemically related to cholesterol. Ergosterol is converted by ultraviolet irradiation into ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2, a nutritional factor that promotes proper bone development in humans and other mammals.
Its relationship to vitamin D was established in 1927, when it was shown that an irradiated sample of ergosterol could be used to alleviate rickets, a deficiency disease of bone caused by lack of vitamin D in the diet. Commercially, ergosterol is produced from yeast and then converted into vitamin D2, which is used as a food supplement. See also vitamin D.