Determination of positional distribution of butyryl groups in milkfat triacylglycerols, triacylglycerol mixtures, and isolated positional isomers of triacylglycerols by gas chromatography and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Positional isomers (1-butyryl-2X-3Y-rac-glycerol and 2-butyryl-1X-3Y-rac-glycerol; X,Y = long-chain acyls) of saturated triacylglycerols (TAG) within 34 and 40 acyl carbons were shown to separate in two chromatographic peaks on immobilized phenyl(65%)methylsilicone column by gas-liquid chromatography, and on reversed-phase ODS-1 column by high-performance liquid chromatography. The analysis of 500-MHz 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra showed distinct differences between 2-butyryl-1X-3Y-rac-glycerol and 1-butyryl-2X-3Y-rac-glycerol isomers in the resonance signals of methylene and methine protons of glycerol backbone, and carbon-2 methylene of acyl groups, and methyl protons of butyryl group. The 1H NMR spectra of three interesterified mixtures of three monacid TAG containing saturated butyrate and caproate TAG and unsaturated butyrate TAG showed that triplets of methyl protons of butyryl groups at sn-1(3)- and sn-2-positions in saturated and unsaturated TAG had similar chemical shifts and that the chemical shift of caproyl methyl protons was different from those of butyryl methyl protons. The positional distribution of butyryl groups in isolated positional isomers of butyrate TAG, interesterified TAG mixtures, and natural and interesterified butteroil can be determined by integration of these signals.