Comparative Study of High-Linoleic Acid Vegetable Oils for the Production of Conjugated Linoleic Acid

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is found in small quantities in dairy and beef products. Obtaining optimum dietary CLA levels from these sources requires an increased intake of saturated fat. A 20% CLA soy oil was produced by UV photoisomerization of soy oil linoleic acid (LA), which is naturally low in saturated fat, but no other high-LA vegetable oils have been studied for their potential as CLA-rich oils. The objectives of this research were to (1) compare flax, sunflower, corn, soy, and high-LA safflower oils as sources of CLA-rich vegetable oils using laboratory-scale equipment, (2) compare CLA yields obtained by laboratory-scale and pilot-scale equipment, and (3) compare the oxidative stabilities of laboratory-scale processed oils. High-LA safflower oil produced the most CLA; soy oil produced slightly less, followed by corn, with flax producing very little and sunflower none at all. Minor oil components and turbidity reduced CLA yields, suggesting that oils should be highly refined before CLA production. The pilot-scale system was more effective than the laboratory-scale system due to greater light exposure and larger surface area to volume ratio of the oil samples. The oxidative stabilities of high-LA safflower oil and soy oil were similar before or after irradiation, indicating that these oils are the most suitable for high-CLA production.