Essential fatty acid-deficient rats: II. On the fatty acid composition of partially hydrogenated arachis, soybean and herring oils and of normal, refined arachis oil

Abstract

The fatty acid composition of partially hydrogenated arachis (HAO), partially hydrogenated soybean (HSO) and partially hydrogenated herring (HHO) oils and of a normal, refined arachis oil (AO) was studied in detail by means of direct gas liquid chromatography, ultraviolet and infrared spectrophotometry and by thin layer chromatography fractionation on silver nitrate-silica gel plates followed by gas liquid chromatography. It was shown that the partially hydrogenated oils all contained fatty acids withtrans double bonds. In the plant oils, thetrans acids were present mainly as elaidic acid. The HHO showed an almost equal distribution betweentrans 18∶1 ω9,trans 20∶1 ω>9 andtrans 22∶1 ω>9. Sometrans configuration was also found in the C₂₀-and C₂₂-dienes and trienes of the HHO. In all the oils, conjugated fatty acids were present in minor amounts only (<0.5%). Special attention was given to the ω-acids known to be of specific nutritional value. The HSO contained about 32% linoleic acid, whereas the content ofcis, trans+trans, cis andtrans, trans octadecadienoic isomers was 1.7% and 0.5%, respectively. The amount of linoleic acid in the HSO was even higher than that of AO (29%). The HAO contained only 0.8% 18∶2 ω6 (linoleic acid). Further, two 18∶2 fatty acids with ω>6, acis, cis and atrans, trans isomer, were present in small amounts. The HHO contained 0.5% 18∶2 ω6 (linoleic acid). Isomers of 18∶2 ω>6 were also found in the HHO. They may be hydrogenation products of higher unsaturated C₁₈-acids orginally present. All the C₂₀- and C₂₂-dienes and trienes were shown to have an ω-chain greater than 6. Fatty acids with ω6-structure were not formed during partial hydrogenation of the oils studied.