Five pulse samples, Musuri (Lens esculenta), Orhor (Cajnus indicus), Motor (Pisum satiuum), Kheshari (Lathyrus satiuus) and Mash-kalai (Phaseolus Munqo), produced and consumed in Bangladesh, were extracted with ether (Soxhlet). Total fat,estimated bygravimetry,rangedfrom 1 to 1.7 Xofdryweights. Four saturated and 4 unsaturated fatty acids were detected in all in these fat extracts by g.1.c. The fat from Musuri, Orhor, Motor and Kheshari had 18 to 28 % palmitic acid and 54 to 67 % linoleic acid. Musuri fat also had oleic ( 17 %) and linolenic (10 %) acids as major components. Fat from Mash-kalai had an unusual pattern offatty acids and contained linolenic (70 %) and behenic (10 %) acids as major components. The unsaturated by saturated fatty acid ratios in the fat extracts ranged between 2.3 for Orhor to 4.4 for Musuri.

Content of ether extractable fat in 6 wheat varieties, consumed in Bangladesh, ranged between 0.9 and 1.9 % of the dry weights. Three saturated and 5 unsaturated fatty acids were detected in these fat extracts by g.1.c. Linoleic acid was major in the fat from Indus-66, Nortino-67 and IP-32, and minor for the other 3 varieties. Stearic acid was major for the fat from Dirk, Mangla-68 and Sonora-64, and minor for the rest. In the former three, the major acids in descending order of abundance were linoleic (41 to 60 %), palmitic (21 to 30 %) and oleic (16 to 26 %). In the later three, this order was oleic (29 to 53 %), palmitic (27 to 41 %) and stearic (13 to 23 %). The unsaturated by saturated fatty acid ratios were above 2 in former group, and below 2 in the later. Palmitic by oleic acid ratios were less than 1 in the former group and about 1 or 2 in the later.

No abstract