Lipid conversion factors for calculating fatty acid contents of foods

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is searching the world literature published since 1960 for data on food lipids and their fatty acid composition. These data are being used to update and expand the national tables of food composition and to establish a computerized nutrient data bank. Customarily, investigators report fatty acid data in terms of weight percent of total methyl esters. For the benefit of users of nutrient tables, relative amounts of com-ponent fatty acid esters should be converted to grams fatty acid (as free acid) per 100 grams food. For this purpose, conversion factors, defined as the weight of fatty acids in 1 gram of fat, were derived for various food products. Derivation of, and basis for, factors and their application are described for selected food products. Variables affecting factors are also dis-cussed. Investigators should include, in reports on fatty acid composition of foods, information on total lipid content and on the fatty acid content of the lipid. The latter values are readily obtained by a saponification procedure, complete acid hydrolysis, or if desired, by lipid class analysis. Presented at the AOCS Meeting in Cincinnati, September 1975.