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INVESTIGATION OF THE IDENTITY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE VOLATILE COMPOUNDS PRODUCED DURING IRRADIATION OF FATS. Report No. 8 (Final) for Period: December 27, 1956-October 26, 1958

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4132030

The volatile compounds present in irradiated hexadecane, octhdecene, methyl oleate, methyl oleate --casein mixtures, and ground beef were studied. Methods for the separation, fractionation isolation, and identification of these compounds were developed. Irradiation of hexadecane, octadecene, and methyl oleate in an atmosphere of oxygen produced mainly peroxides, acids, aldehydes, and typical pungent, rancid, oxidized odors. Unsaturation of the molecule or carboxylic groups is not required for the formation of undesirable compounds during irradiation of lipides. Similar compounds were found in irradiated methyl oleate-casein mixtures, but the odor of these irradiated mixtures was different from that of irradiated methyl oleate alone. The volatile carbonyl compounds from irradiated methyl oleate consisted mainly of saturated and unsaturated monocarbonyls with less than nine carbon atoms and of ALPHA -dicarbonyls. A noncarbonyl fraction was tentatively identified as the methyl ester of a terminally epoxidized acid with 8 to 12 carbon atoms. Irradiation of ground beef increases the carbonyl content of the fat. The steam distillates of irradiated ground beef contain considerably more C/sub 8/ and C/sub 3/ monocarbonyls than the nonirradiated controls. The steam distillates also contained dicarbonyl compounds, some of which are very similar to diacetyl. The extracted fat from ground beef contained monocarbonyl compounds but no dicarbonyls. (auth)

Research Organization:
Minnesota. Univ., Austin. Hormel Inst.
NSA Number:
NSA-15-000466
OSTI ID:
4132030
Report Number(s):
AD-235238
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English