686. The fatty acids of butterfat and the volatile acids formed on oxidation

Abstract

1. Despite the presence of appreciable quantities of steam volatile fatty acids as glycerides in butterfat, no short-chain fatty acids with odd carbon number have been detected by gas-liquid chromatography of the acids.2. Mild oxidation of butterfat for short periods of time produces steam volatile fatty acids with odd carbon number. A large proportion of these acids was formic, with smaller proportions of propionic, valeric and nonanoic acids.3. The relative ease with which short-chain fatty acids are produced on oxidation of fats, points to the danger of contaminating naturally occurring fatty acids with extraneous acids.4. A total analysis of the fatty acids of New Zealand butterfat by gas-liquid chromatography compared well with similar analyses carried out by previous workers by means of esterfractionation analysis.