Fatty acid almond

The example of a total extract composition of a tropical soil from the Amazon, Brazil, shows mycose as the major compound, numerous other monosaccharides, lipid components such as fatty acids and fatty alcohols, and natural product biomarkers (Fig. 9a). The mycose and elevated levels of the other saccharides reflect the efficient fungal/microbial degradation of plant detritus in the tropics. This can be compared to the saccharides in the soil from an almond orchard in California, where glucose and mycose are the main sugars with lipids, sterols and triterpenoids (Fig. 9b, ). 

The BP monographs for many of the fixed oils contain a GC analysis to confirm the content of the fatty acids composing the triglycerides (fatty acid triesters of glycerol) present in the oil. The monograph for almond oil states the composition of the fatty acids making up the triglyceride should be ... 

A) Separation of fatty acid methyl esters derived from almond oil on a BPX-5 column (12 m X 0.25 mm i.d. x 0.25 pm film). Programmed 100° (1 min) then 107min to 320°. The major peaks are shown as offscale so that the minor peaks can be seen clearly. (B) The same sample separated on a HP Stabiliwax column (15 m X 0.25 mm x 0.5 pm film). Programmed 140°... 

Figure 3.3 Partial GC/MS chromatograms of pheromone gland extracts obtained from female almond moths that were treated with the indicated deuterium-labeled fatty acid. To determine incorporation into the pheromone, single ions were monitored corresponding to (M+)-60 of Z9-14 OAc (197) and Z9,E12-140Ac (195) plus the number of deuteriums present in the precursor. The latter are shown in bold. Control glands were also analyzed to demonstrate that the ions representing labeling were absent (data not shown). The peak eluting just before Z9-14 OAc was tentatively identified as E11-14 OAc.

There are a number of minor oils, all of high value, most of which are marketed mainly either for medical purposes or for their flavour. Olive, evening primrose, borage, fish oils and cocoa butter are described elsewhere. Others include hazelnut, walnut, macadamia, almond, apricot, pumpkin, poppy-seed and rice bran oils. The process of testing for authenticity of these oils should be approached in the same way as for the bulk oils above, i.e. fatty acid profile, sterols, tocopherols and triglyceride composition. However, there is little generally available published material on the ranges of values to be expected... 

Dugo, G., d Alcontres, I.S., Controneo, A. and Salvo, F. (1979) Composition of almond oil. 1. Fatty acids, hydrocarbons and sterols of three varieties of Sicilian sweet almonds. Riv. Ital. Sost. Grasse, 56, 201-203. 

Saura-Calixto, F., Canellas, J. and Gracia-Raso, A. (1985) Characteristics and fatty acid composition of almond tegument oil—comparison with almond kernel oil. Fette Seif. Anstrichm., 87, 4—6. 

Vitamin E, or a-tocopheroi, is a natural antioxidant found in fish oil, almonds, hazelnuts, and leafy greens. Although the molecular details of its function remain obscure, it is thought that vitamin E traps radicals, thus preventing the unwanted oxidation of unsaturated fatty acid residues in cell membranes. In this way, vitamin E helps retard the aging process. In Chapter 15 we learn about radical reactions and the role of vitamin E and other antioxidants in inhibiting radical processes. 

Almond Prunus dulcis, P. amygdalis, Amygdalis communis). Almond oil is generally considered as an oleic-rich oil (65-70%), but its fatty acid composition can vary widely. The triacylglycerol composition of the oil has also been reported. Low-saturated, high-monounsamrated oils show high oxidative and cold weather stability (i.e., they are slow to deposit crystals) (65, 66). 

The proximate composition of almond includes 50.6% lipid, 21.3% protein, 19.7% carbohydrate, 5.3% water, and 3.1% ash (w/w) (1). The most common method for producing almond oil is hexane extraction that affords high oil yields, however, cold pressing is another commercially used procedure for almond oil production (8). Shi et al. (8) assessed the fatty acid composition of almond oil oleic acid was major fatty acid present (68%), followed by hnoleic acid (25%), palmitic acid (4.7%), and small amounts (<2.3%) of palmitoleic, stearic, and ara-chidic acids (Table 1). Almond oil is also a rich source of a-tocopherol (around 390 mg/kg) and contains trace amounts of other tocopherol isomers as well as phyl-loquinone (70pg/kg) (1). Almond oil contains 2.6g/kg phytosterols, mainly p-sitosterol, with trace amounts of stigmasterol and campesterol (1). 

This generally occurs in the form of glycerides in olive, almond, cotton and sunflower oils. Oleic acid is a colorless, tasteless and odorless liquid with a melting point of 13 °C. It forms one third of the total fatty acids in cow s milk and is used in the production of lubricants, detergents, resins and other products. Stearic acid is formed by the addition of hydrogen to oleic acid. 

Boelens has also used this approach to derive QSAR equations for musk, jasmine, fruit and bitter almond odorants (Boelens, 1976 Boelens and Punter, 1978 Boelens et al., 1983). In the case of bitter almond and musk, he concluded that hydrophobic and steric parameters were important. For the jasmine materials, he found that molecular connectivity indices were useful parameters. Molecular connectivity indices were also used by their inventors, Kier et al. (1977), to analyse anosmia to fatty acids and the odour similarities of ethereal, floral and benzaldehyde-like odorants. Dearden (1994) also developed a QSAR equation relating the odour similarity of bitter almond odorants to two connectivity indices. Greenberg (1979) found that the odour intensity of a series of homologous compounds was correlated to their hydrophobic properties and not to steric or polar properties, while Rossiter (1996b) found that the fruitiness of aliphatic esters was related to steric hindrance of the ester group and either molecular length or log P. 

The kernel itself contains a rich source of protein and a glyceride oil having chiefly the components fatty acids palmitic and oleic acids. In world production the % of cashew is comparable to that of hazel and almond nuts. Table 4 gives projected estimates of the world production of cashew from figures available in 1978-9 (ref. 172). 

Oleic acid is the most abundant fatty acid in triglycerides in humans and most mammals. Flence it is found in abundance in beef fat (tallow), pork fat (lard), and butter (see the table) but it is also present in abundance in almond oil, peanut oil, and palm oil (see the table). This high content with a lower proportion of saturated fatty acids makes these fats have a low melting temperature hence they are liquid (oils) at room temperature. On the other hand, the animal fats tend to be solid as a result of also having a high content of saturated fatty acids. 

Fatty Acid Acorn Nut Almond Beechnut Brazil Nut Cashew Chestnut Coconut Hazelnut Hickory Nut Macadamia Pecan Pine Nut Pistachio Walnut... 

Abbey, M., Noakes, M., Belling, G.B., and Nestel, P.J., Partial replacement of saturated fatty acids with almonds or walnuts lowers total plasma cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 59, 995-999, 1994. 

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