Chylomicron triacylglycerol fatty acids in suckling northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) resemble the composition and the distribution of fatty acids in milk fat.

Following birth, the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pups rapidly gain weight by ingesting milk with a high fat content, as much as 50%. To better understand the metabolism of the pups during the suckling period, the positional distributions of triacylglycerol fatty acids in both the milk and chylomicra were determined. Extracts of enzymatically digested lipids were separated by thin layer chromatography and the constituent fatty acids were separated and quantified by gas liquid chromatography.

Positional analyses of triacylglycerol fatty acids in the milk fat of the antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella).

The positional distribution of fatty acids has been determined for the milk triacylglycerols of the Antarctic fur seal, Arctocephalus gazella. Of particular interest was the positional distribution of the polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids in milk triacylglycerols (TG). In adipocytes of pinnipeds, TG are synthesized with the n-3 fatty acids primarily in the sn-1,3 positions.

The effect of a non-absorbable fat, sucrose polyester, on the metabolism of vitamin A by the rat.

Sucrose polyester (SPE) is a fat-like material that is not absorbed. The effect of this material on vitamin A metabolism was determined by measuring the amount of the vitamin that was stored in the liver of rats following the ingestion of a known amount of vitamin A. In one study, the vitamin A was administered as an oral dose in a vehicle consisting of various proportions of cottonseed oil and SPE.