The Effect of Concentrates of Polyunsaturated Acids from Tuna Oil upon Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency

Abstract

Highly unsaturated acids from tuna oil were concentrated and their esters were separated according to chain length by fractional distillation. Each chain-length fraction was fed as a supplement to fat-deficient rats and the effects were compared with those induced by ethyl linoleate. None of the fractions containing fatty acids of 16, 18, 20 or 22 carbon atoms in length relieved the dermal symptoms of EFA deficiency. However, all the fractions except the 16-carbon fraction showed marked stimulation of growth. Only the 16-carbon fraction allowed the deposition of abnormally high amounts of trienoic acid in heart and testis tissue.