TAG composition of ewe's milk fat. Detection of foreign fats

The TAG composition of 45 samples of ewe's milk, collected throughout the year from five Spanish breeds, was analyzed according to their carbon number by using short capillary column GC. The TAG content had a bimodal distribution with maxima at C38 (12.8%) and C52 (8.4%). The TAG composition did not vary significantly with respect to the time of year of sampling but was affected by the breed. Multiple regression equations based on TAG content are proposed to detect foreign fats in ewe's milk fat. Analysis of known mixtures of lard, palm oil, and cow's milk fat with ewe's milk fat have experimentally confirmed the accuracy of the equations.