RANDOMNESS TEST OF FATTY-ACIDS DISTRIBUTION IN TRIACYLGLYCEROL MOLECULES OF PALM-OIL

For food purposes, the palm oil is generally fractionated to solid (st earin) and liquid (olein)fi actions. Distribution of fatty acids in tr iacylglycerols of palm oil determines the fate of fractionation in ter ms of yield and quality of the products, specifically the liquid fract ion or olein. The more trisaturated and triunsaturated and the less mo no- and disaturated will yield higher and better quality olein. There are six types of fatty acids found in the palm oil, but only 14 combin ations are found in the triacylglycerols. In this study, such combinat ions were statistically tested to determine whether or not the fatty a cids are randomly distributed, and if it was not, toward which directi on the regulatory agent works. The distribution of fatty acids in the palm oil triacylglycerols was found to be nonrandomly distributed. Unf ortunately, the palm tended to form 11.98% higher disaturated triacylg lycerols, -7.4% less triunsaturated, and -4.25% less trisaturated comp ared to when the arrangement was random. If manipulation could be indu ced in such a way that the synthesis of triacylglycerols becomes rando m, the triunsaturated and trisaturated triacylglycerol proportion expe ctedly would increased to 12.57% and 12.43%, respectively. Such manipu lation can be dens in the plant through genetic engineering, or in the harvested fruit through application of stimulant, or in the oil throu gh chemical or enzymatic transesterification.