Changes of Fatty Acid Composition Effected by Blending of Vegetable Oils

This study investigated the blending of palm oil with palm kernel oil, soya bean oil and groundnut oil. Palm oil was blended with palm kernel oil, soyabean oil and groundnut oil in three different proportions i.e., PO:PKO (70:30, 90:10 and 50:50); PO:SO (70:30, 90:10 and 50:50) and PO:GO (70:30, 90:10 and 50:50). Fatty acid composition of individual oils and their blends were determined. The palmitic acid was the major fatty acid (40.05%) in palm oil followed by oleic and linoleic acid. Palm kernel oil contained the highest fatty acid to be a saturated fatty acid like palm oil but this time, lauric acid (40.25%) followed by myristic acid and cis-vaccenic acid (an isomer of oleic acid). Soyabean oil contained 67.38% polyunsaturated fats, 22.68% monounsaturated and 9.94% saturated fats. On the other hand, oleic acid in groundnut oil was the prominent fatty acid which was 60.71% of the total fatty acid followed by linoleic acid (11.17%) and palmitic acid (10.14%).On the basis of fatty acid composition of the blends, PO:GO (70:30), had the ideal ratio which gives saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid ratio of 1:2:1. Therefore blending of vegetable oil has an effect on the fatty acid composition