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POLYHYDROXY fATTY ACIDS 



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PATTY AMINES 



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Figure 2. — Fish oils can be used to produce many chemical 

 derivatives such as fatty alcohols and fatty amines. 



of several techniques which have been 

 found for separating the component fatty 

 acids in fish oils. 



The next step is to convert the sep- 

 arated fatty acid to some other compound 

 having potential industrial value. After 

 the reaction is completed the new compound 

 must be separated from the reaction mix- 

 ture and purified. Finally, it is neces- 

 sary for the chemist to identify the final 

 product and see whether he has accomplished 

 what he set out to do. This may be done 

 by a combination of techniques, such as by 

 a simple titration, or by means of more 

 complex procedures such as measurement of 

 such physical properties as ultraviolet 

 light absorption. Such properties vary 

 with the different compounds and serve as 

 means for identification. 



Many chemical derivatives have been 

 prepared from fish oils at the Seattle 

 Laboratory and at the University of 

 Minnesota' s Hormel Institute which is 

 carrying out contract research in this 

 field for the Bureau. Figure 2 shows 

 some of these compounds which have been 

 prepared at Seattle. 



The work on development of new uses 

 for fish oils is not the only phase of 

 basic research under way in the Bureau. 



Another aspect under investigation is 

 research on the nutritive value of fish 

 oils. Particular attention is being paid 

 to the relationship between fish oils in 

 the diet and atherosclerosis. Athero- 

 sclerosis is today the leading cause of 

 death in the United States, being the 

 basic cause for coronary failures or heart 

 attacks and for cerebral hemorrhages or 

 strokes. 



A connection between atherosclerosis 

 and the level of certain fatty materials, 

 especially cholesterol in the blood, has 

 been established. Deposition of choles- 

 terol in the arteries may clog them to the 

 point where such heart failures or strokes 

 result. The level of cholesterol in the 

 blood has been found to be affected by the 

 type of fat in the diet. When the fat or 

 oil contains unsaturated fatty acids, the 

 blood level of cholesterol is diminished, 

 which should then decrease the likelihood 

 of deposition in the arteries. 



Most of the research to date using 

 unsaturated fatty acids derive these from 

 vegetable oils such as corn oil. Although 

 fish oils contain even more highly unsat- 

 urated fatty acids than do the vegetable 

 oils, an erroneous conception led most 

 medical researchers to the belief that 

 fish-oil fatty acids would be relatively 



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