Studies on the composition of horse oil. 1. Composition of horse oil in relation to the depot fats of other pasture-fed animals

Abstract

Representative commercial samples of horse oil from pasture-fed animals were submitted to ester-fractionation analysis. On a wt. % basis, the saturated acids were found to comprise 25% palmitic together with minor proportions (less than 5%) of stearic and myristic. The unsaturated acids contained minor proportions of tridecenecarboxylic acid, with 8-10% pentadecenecarboxylic and minor amts. of C20 acids. The C18 unsaturated acids, comprising 57% of the total were made up of oleic acid 60%, heptadecadienecarboxylic 10% and heptadecatri-enecarboxylic (linolenic) acid 30%. Horse hoof oil, as compared with the depot fat, contained less palmitic acid, but increased proportions of pentadecenecarboxylic acid. This relationship resembles that between the fatty acid composition of neat''s-foot oil and of beef tallow. The virtual absence of linolenic acid in the ox and sheep, as compared with its presence in quantity in the horse, the rabbit, and the pasture on which these animals feed, would indicate a difference in the nature of fat metabolism of these animals.