Disclosed is a process for reducing the amount of sterol in a sterol-containing microbial oil composition, including distilling, under short path distillation conditions, a sterol-containing microbial oil wherein said distillation produces a distillate fraction containing the sterol and a triacylglycerol-containing fraction having a reduced amount of the sterol when compared to the amount of sterol in the sterol-containing microbial oil composition that has not been subjected to short path distillation.