Comprehensive evaluation of fatty acids in foods. IV. Nuts, peanuts, and soups.

As part of USDA research to provide reliable and up-to-date tabulations of lipids and fatty acids in foods, representative values have been derived and tabulated for nuts and commercially canned condensed soups. Except for palm-type nuts, unsaturated fatty acids are the major acids in nuts; oleic acid is generally the predominant unsaturated fatty acid. The new fatty acid values indicate greater concentrations of saturated fatty acids than previously reported. The P:S ratios for nuts and peanuts are presented. The fatty acid contents of soups are varied and reflect the lipid composition of the source(s) of fat of the particular ingredients used in the manufacture of these products. These new values for fatty acids in nuts and soups should greatly help nutritionists and dietitians to better assess the total contribution of each particular fatty acid to the diet.