Factors Affecting the Absorbability of Saturated Fatty Acids in the Chick

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Abstract
Absorbability by chicks of fatty acids in tallow, lard and soybean oil fed as the intact and hydrolyzed fats has been studied using gas chromatography. The absorbability of palmitic and stearic acid present in mixtures of unsaturated fatty acids increased as the level of unsaturated fatty acids in the mixture increased. Absorbability of palmitic and stearic acids in the fatty acid mixtures, however, was much less than their absorbability when fed in the form of mixed triglycerides present in the respective intact fats. Additional studies on the absorbability by chicks of palmitic acid in natural, partially rearranged and completely randomized lard have shown that the absorbability of palmitic acid decreased with increasing randomization of the fatty acid in the constituent triglycerides. Thus, it appears that the absorbability of palmitic acid in lard varies with point of attachment of the acid in the triglyceride molecule, the absorbability being higher when located in the two-position than in the one-position of lard triglycerides. Evidence obtained in the course of these experiments supports the particulate theory of fat absorption in the chick.