Formation of Acrolein by the Autoxidation of Unsaturated Fatty Acid Methyl Esters

Abstract

0.1% NH2OH (2.5 ml), 5 N HCl (2.5 ml) and 1% m-aminophenol solution (1 ml) were added to unsaturated fatty acid methyl enters (10 mg), and the mixture was heated in a boiling water bath at 100 °C for 20 min. The reaction mixtures were measured for their fluorescence intensity at Ex. 356 nm and Em. 505 nm, and the amounts of acrolein formed were determined from its calibration curve. Methyl linolenate oxidized for 20 h at 80 °C, 2258.2 μg/g of acrolein were formed, whereas 208.1 μg/g of malondialdehyde were determined by the thiobarbituric acid method. Thus the determination of acrolein in oxidized lipid may have some fundamental significance for the evaluation of lipid oxidation. It was of interest that acrolein is formed not only from glycerin and triglyceride but also from unsaturated fatty acids by their autoxidation. © 1989, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.