The component glycerides of soya bean oil and of soya bean oil fractions

Summary The mixed glycerides of soya bean oil consist of nearly 60% of mono‐saturated di‐unsaturated glycerides and about 40% of tri‐unsaturated glycerides; two polyethenoid groups (chiefly linoleic) are present in nearly 70% of the tri‐glycerides, but less than 5% contains three in the same triglyceride molecule whilst linolenic groups occur (singly) in not much more than 25% of the soya bean glycerides. Of the soya bean oil glycerides (37%) which remain in solution in acetone at −40°, about 90% contain two polyethenoid groups and about 10% contain all three acid radicals in this form whilst linolenic acid is present (singly) in about 40% of the glycerides; but over 30% of this fraction still contains one saturated acyl group. Such a solvent‐separated soya bean oil fraction would thus appear to be considerably less efficient as a drying oil than certain whole oils such as those of rubber seed or candlenut (lumbang), the latter in turn not possessing so great a linolenic acid content and content of linoleo‐linoleno‐(tri‐unsaturated) glycerides as linseed oil itself.