Composition and structure of some consumer-available edible fats

Samples of polyunsaturated margarines, table margarines, hard cube polyunsaturated vegetable oil, hard cube vegetable oil, animal fat, and blends of vegetable oil and animal fat were analyzed for fatty acid composition, percentage ofcis,cis-methylene interrupted polyunsaturated fatty acids, percentage isolatedtrans-unsaturation, and percentage conjugated diene. Gas liquid chromatography was used to separate and measure the geometric isomers of the octadecaenoic and octadecadienoic acids. Selected samples were analyzed for the content of positional isomers in theircis monoene andtrans monoene fractions, and for the percentage of fatty acid esterified in the 2-position of their triglycerides.