Abstract
The state of dissolved water in triglycerides (TG) such as tristearin, triolein, trilinolein, and trilinolenin, was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared and near infrared spectroscopy at 20°C, and compared with that of water. Water was revealed to be mainly composed of polymers larger than dimer clusters at 20°C, and of monomers and dimer clusters at 120°C.
In TG, the state showed considerable variation from monomer to polymer clusters. The distribution ratios of the water clusters observed in TG depended on the kinds of fatty acids of TG. The water state was noted to change due to interactions between unsaturated bonds and dissolved water. With increase in the number of unsaturated bonds of TG, the ratio of monomer water decreased, and clusters larger than those of the original water increased.
