Characterization of ethyl substituted fatty acids from lamb subcutaneous triacylglycerols by combined gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

Mid-chain ethyl substituted fatty acids with chain lengths ranging from 10 to 16 carbon atoms were identified in a concentrate of branched chain fatty acids isolated from the triacylglycerol fatty acids of the subcutaneous adipose tissue of barley-fed lambs. The acids were identified by gas chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry and their mass spectral features are discussed.