Docosahexaenoic Acid Ester Degradation Measured by FTIR-ATR with Correlation Spectroscopy

Abstract

Highly unsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid and linolenic acid are prone to oxidation with a resulting loss of bioactivity and generation of malodorous degradation compounds. Degradation proceeds by formation of the corresponding hydroperoxyl free radical with subsequent oxidative cleavage at the double bond site. FTIR-ATR was used to detect degradation through spectral changes that were correlated to oxidative degradation. The spectrometer was equipped with a heated stage so that a series of spectra could be collected while the sample was exposed to elevated temperatures. The appearance of new bands at 972.8 cm − 1 , 2934 cm − 1 , and 3498 cm − 1 with the disappearance of bands at 703.6 cm − 1 and 3013 cm − 1 were observed after heating and these spectral changes were evaluated by correlation spectroscopy analysis. These results provide a method to quickly detect the oxidative degradation of polyunsaturated fats. This approach is expected to be applied for the quality assessment of feed formulations fortified with omega-3 fatty acids.