Fatty Acid Composition of Lipids Extracted from Rats Fed Milk Fat, Corn Oil, and Lard

Summary The lipids extracted from rats fed milk fat differed in both minor and major components from the lipids extracted from rats fed corn oil or lard. The minor components consisted of 1.7–5.4% odd- and branched-chain fatty acids which were found in milk fat and in the lipids extracted from the carcass of rats fed milk fat, but not in corn oil or lard or in the lipids extracted from rats fed corn oil or lard. The major component fatty acids in milk fat, corn oil, and lard were selectively deposited in the carcass and liver tissue. The most drastic selectivity involved linoleic acid, which varied from 2% in those fed milk fat to 39% in those fed corn oil. On the other hand, the lipids extracted from the liver of rats fed milk fat contained 3% more arachidonic acid than the lipids extracted from livers of those on corn oil, or 13 and 10%, respectively. Heated milk fat in the diet did not seem to alter statistically the mixed fatty acid composition of the carcass or liver lipids.