Influence of low ambient temperature and dietary lipids on adipose tissue and plasma fatty acid composition of the Japanese quail.

Japanese quail were maintained on synthetic diets containing 15% corn oil, 15% tallow, and zero fat, and were later exposed at 3.5 degrees C for 21 days. A distinct influence of dietary fat composition upon the adipose tissue triglyceride fatty acid composition was detected, but no change in fatty acid composition was produced with cold exposure. The fatty acid composition of adipose tissue from quail acclimatized to winter temperatures showed no trend towards a greater degree of unsaturation. There was no evidence of a gross selective mobilization of certain fatty acids from the depot lipids. Regional variation in the fatty acid composition of avian fats is discussed with respect to the level of food intake and body temperature.