Alteration of long chain fatty acids of herring oil during hydrogenation on nickel catalyst

During hydrogenation of a refined herring(Clupea harengus) oil iodine value (IV) 119, on a commercial nickel catalyst, samples were collected at IV 108, 101, 88 and 79. In the early stages of the process, IV 119 to IV 101, the positional and geometrical isomerization of the long chain monoenoic fatty acids (20:1 and 22:1) was hindered by the stronger absorption on the catalyst surface of the polyenes with 4, 5 and 6 double bonds. Consequently at IV 101, 70% of these polyenes had been converted to dienoic and trienoic fatty acids, but only 3-4%trans 20:1 and 22:1 accumulated. As the hydrogenation proceeded, IV 101 to IV 79, the originaleis 20:1 and 22:1 isomers (mainly Δ11 with some ΔA9 and Δ13) decreased and new positional and geometrical isomers (both cis andtrans in positions Δ6 to Δ15) were formed. The majortrans isomers were Δ11 accompanied by important proportions of Δ10 and Δ12. At IV 79, moretrans 20:1 (ca. 36%) thantrans 22:1 (ca. 29%) was detected. Monoethylenic fatty acids newly formed from polyethylenic fatty acids made only minor contributions to the total 20:1 and 22:1 at these levels of hydrogenation, but a “memory effect” which skews the proportions of minorcis andtrans isomers can be attributed to the proportions of minorcis 22:1 isomers (Δ9, Δ13 and Δ15) orginally present. Presented in part at AOCS Annual Conference, San Francisco, May 1979.