Evolution of Animal Fats

Abstract

USING the theory of evolution as a general background, Hilditch and Lovern¹ have directed attention to the gradual simplification in the fatty-acid composition of animal fats as one proceeds from the lower forms of life to those that are more highly organized. In particular, they have noted the striking difference between the complexity of the fats of aquatic animals, which contain, in addition to C₁₄, C₁₆ and C₁₈ saturated acids, a wide range of unsaturated acids of the C₁₄, C₁₆, C₁₈, C₂₀ and C₂₂ series, as compared with the fats of the more highly evolved land mammals, which generally contain as major components only three acids, palmitic, stearic and oleic.