Occurrence and chemical structure of nonmethylene-interrupted dienoic fatty acids in American oyster Crassostrea virginica.

The American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, was found to contain structurally homologous nonmethylene-interrupted dienoic (NMID) fatty acids. The major C20 and C22 nonmethylene-interrupted dienoic fatty acid isomers were shown to occur as two pairs of homologues 5,13-20:2 with 7,15-22:2 and 5,11-20:2 with 7,13-22:2. A combination of analytical procedures was required for conclusive structure determination.