Main fatty acids in animal feeds
There are many individual fatty acids in nature, but only five are commonly present in animal feeds (Table 1).
Table 1 Main fatty acids commonly found in feeds
|
Fatty acid |
Name |
Classification |
Melting point (°C) |
|
C16:0 |
Palmitic acid |
Saturated |
63 |
|
C18:0 |
Stearic acid |
Saturated |
70 |
|
C18:1 |
Oleic acid |
Unsaturated |
13 |
|
C18:2 |
Linoleic acid |
Unsaturated |
-5 |
|
C18:3 |
Linolenic acid |
Unsaturated |
-11 |