IDENTIFICATION OF MAJOR TRIGLYCERIDES CAUSING THE CLOUDING OF PALM OLEIN

Clouding was obtained by storing palm olein at 12.5 degrees C for up t o 24 h and was separated by centrifugation. The fat crystals were coll ected after washing with cold acetone. The crystals were identified ac cording to their fatty acid and triglyceride composition, carbon numbe r and degree of unsaturation. Palmitic-oleic-palmitic (POP) and palmit ic-oleic-stearic (POS) levels were high in the cloud material, especia lly in that recovered between 15-18 h of storage. The increase in POP and POS concentrations was concomitant with a decrease in the content of palmitic-oleic-oleic (POO). The least amount of POO was also obtain ed in clouds collected between 15-18 h of storage, com pared to the or iginal oil sample. The increase of palmitic acid explained that trigly cerides conjugated with palmitic acid molecules in their acyl chains c ould have been crystallized, and crystallization could have taken plac e in the order of the number of palmitic molecule in the acyl chain. T he concentrations of the other triglycerides did not change much throu ghout the storage period. Further storage caused the composition of th e cloud to become similar to that of the original oil sample.