Whale fatty acid composition

Table 3.190 Fatty acid composition of whale oils... 

There are two suborders of whales Baleen whales which have homy plates rather than teeth, and whales which have teeth. The blue and the finback whales, both live on plankton, and belong to the Baleen suborder. The oils from these whales do not differ substantially in their fatty acid compositions. 

Dahl, T.M., Lydersen, C., Kovacs, K.M., Falk-Petersen, S., Sargent, J., Gjertz, L, and Gulliksen, B. (2000) Fatty acid composition of the blubber in white whales [Delphinapterus leucas). Polar Biol, 23, 401-409. 

Ackman, R.G. and Eaton, C.A. (1966) Lipids of the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) from North Atlantic waters. III. Occurrence of eicosenoic and docosenoic fatty acids in the zooplankter Meganyctiphanes norvegica (M. Sars) and their effect on whale oil composition. Can. J. Biochem. 44, 1561-1566. 

Figure 9.1. Schematic TLC separation of triacylglycerols containing short-chain or polar fatty acids on layers of silica gel. Plate A triacylglycerols from the Beluga whale the numbers refer to the isovaleroyl residues in each molecule [555]. Plate B seed oil containing vernolic acid the numbers refer to the epoxy fatty acid residues in each molecule [192]. The compositions of the mobile phases are given in the text.

---