Formation from Fat in Plants

Although it is evident from the above discussion that the fatty acids present in the usual vegetable or animal fats do not contribute to the carbohydrate stores in the animal body, there is ample proof that such may be the case in plants and lower organisms. This change has been confirmed in the castor bean where the R. Q. has been found to vary from 0.30 to 0.58 during the period of germination. This could be correlated with the disappearance of fat and the formation of carbohydrate. There also seems to be evidence that silk worms are able to build carbohydrate at the expense of fat.  

It must be evident to the reader that the experimental findings, on which support for the conversion of fatty acids to D-glucose in the animal organism must necessarily be based, are subjects of violent controversy. On the other hand, no one questions that the plant possesses the power to transform fatty acids to carbohydrate in the course of its usual metabolism. One naturally has reason to inquire why a reaction of such fundamental importance should be confined exclusively to the plant kingdom. 

Benedict suggested that since the theory postulated that the simultaneous oxidation of carbohydrate caused the breakdown of the ketone bodies formed in normal metabolism, the term ketolytic should be used in place of antiketogenic. Thus, these two terms have come to have entirely different connotations from those originally intended. 

---

The production of plant derived seasonings from acid hydrolyzed plant proteins is described elsewhere. Recently the acid hydrolysis of plant proteins (wheat gluten, soy protein, etc.) has been questioned especially in the US because of the potential formation of toxic side products. These side products, especially dichloropropanols are formed from plant fats contained in the raw material by the action of concentrated hydrochloric acid which is used in autoclaves at elevated temperatures for hydrolysis [4]. The cancerogenic effect of dichloropropanols has been proven in animal experiments. 

Oxidation of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids can take place by a-, P-or cy-oxidations. a-Oxidation is common in plants and brain tissue and causes the release of CO2 and formation of a new fatty acid, one carbon shorter. The more important -oxidation mechanism causes the release of acetyl-CoA. The process requires a cycle of four reactions (oxidation, hydration, oxidation, thiolysis) and is localized in mitochondria and microbodies in eukaryotes the proportional distribution varying with organism. -Oxidation is the most important process by which energy is released from fat stores in animals and plants. 

---