NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF OIL CONTAINING CONJUGATED OCTADECATRIENOIC FATTY-ACID

The nutritive value of conjugated octadecatrienoic fatty acid (C18:3 D elta 9,11,13 alpha-elaeostearic acid) as occurs in karela seed (Momord ica charantia) oil was studied. When rats were fed at the 20% level fo r 6 weeks, the growth pattern of rats and the food efficiency ratio sh owed a slightly significant difference compared to the group raised on linseed oil with non-conjugated octadecatrienoic acid (C18:3 Delta 9, 12,15 alpha-linolenic acid) as control. The concentrations of total ch olesterol, triglyceride, VLDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and LDL/HDL -cholesterol in serum were significantly higher in karela oil than in linseed oil. The liver lipid profile showed no difference. The total l ipid as well as phospholipid concentrations of heart lipid were signif icantly higher in karela oil. The brain weight of the linseed oil grou p was significantly higher than the karela group. The brain phospholip id concentration of the karela oil group was significantly higher than that of the linseed oil group.