Studies with Acidulated Cottonseed-Oil Soapstock

COTTONSEED products are involved in the discoloration of cold stored eggs, by producing (a) olive or brown yolks (Lamon and Lee, 1917; Schaible et al., 1934); and (b) pink whites and salmon colored yolks (Sherwood, 1928, 1931). The dark yolk discoloration was reported to be caused by free gossypol (Heywang et al., 1955), and the pink color of the egg albumen by sterculic and malvalic acids (Shenstone and Vickery, 1959), fatty acids of Sterculia foetida oil and of cottonseed oil, respectively, having a cyclopropene ring and giving the Halphen color reaction. Discolorations of both yolk and albumen appear closely related to the enhanced rates of diffusion caused by cyclopropenoid fatty acids. As a result, yolk iron diffuses into the albumen and chelates with the protein conalbumin to give the pink iron-conalbumin complex, and more rapid transmission into the yolk sac of albumen alkaline fluids causes the gossypol in the yolk …