Marine mammal oils fatty acid composition

Fats and oils may be synthesized in enantiomerically pure forms in the laboratory (30) or derived from vegetable sources (mainly from nuts, beans, and seeds), animal depot fats, fish, or marine mammals. Oils obtained from other sources differ markedly in their fatty acid distribution. Table 2 shows compositions for a wide variety of oils. One variation in composition is the chain length of the fatty acid. Butterfat, for example, has a fairly high concentration of short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids. Oils derived from cuphea are also a rich source of capric acid which is considered to be medium in chain length (32). Palm kernel and coconut oils are known as lauric oils because of their high content of C-12 saturated fatty acid (lauric acid). Rapeseed oil, on the other hand, has a fairly high concentration of long-chain (C-20 and C-22) fatty acids. 

The fatty acid composition of marine lipids varies significantly, especially when compared with vegetable oils. The fatty acid composition of blubber oil of marine mammals is generally similar to fish oils as it contains a large proportion of long-chain highly unsaturated fatty acids. However, the proportion of fatty acids in fish and marine mammals varies considerably (2). 

Marine mammal oils or their co3 concentrates can also be modified for different applications. Modifications include the changing of the fatty acid composition and/ or their location in the glycerol backbone. Structured lipids containing both 0)3 long-chain PUFAs, possibly from seal blubber oil, or their co3 concentrates, and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are saturated fatty acids with 6-12... 

Nearly all the commercially important fats and oils of animal and plant origin consist almost exclusively of this simple lipid class. The fatty acid composition can vary enormously. In seed oils, the Cis unsaturated fatty acids tend to predominate. In animal fats, especially those of adipose tissue origin, the fatty acid composition reflects that of the diet to some extent, but Cie and Cis fatty acids are the most abundant components. Fish triacylglycerols and those of marine mammals differ from others in that they contain a high proportion of C20 and C22 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The compositions of natural oils and fats have been reviewed recently [686]. 

Such feeding methods are theoretically useful for modifying the fatty acid composition of food products, if higher contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids are required. Polyunsaturated ruminant products are not generally available, however they are expensive and subject to oxidative deterioration (section 3.3.4) which may result in poor taste and appearance. Exceptions to the general rule that animal storage fats are predominantly saturated and monounsaturated are the oils of fish and marine mammals, which are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 family (sections 3.1 and 5.2.2). 

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