Characterization of Cod Liver Oil by Spectroscopic Techniques. New Approaches for the Determination of Compositional Parameters, Acyl Groups, and Cholesterol from ¹H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectral Data

Six samples of cod liver oil were studied using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR). These techniques provide information simply and rapidly about the global features of the cod liver oil main components, showing their potential as routine techniques for evaluating certain parameters of the quality of the cod liver oil. FTIR spectroscopy provides information about the molar percentage of polyunsaturated acyl groups in the sample and also about the ratio between unsaturated and saturated structures. (1)H NMR provides information about the proportions or concentrations of certain acyl groups and also of some minor compounds such as cholesterol. Both techniques are simple and fast. New approaches are presented to evaluate the molar proportions or concentrations of some acyl groups such as the molar percentages of omega-3, docosahexaenoic, and eicosapentaenoic acyl groups; furthermore, some novel approaches for evaluating the molar percentages of unsaturated and saturated acyl groups are also given. Results obtained from both spectroscopic techniques are in total agreement.