The formation of methyl ketones in the bacteriological oxidation of butter fat

Abstract

The chemical changes to which animal and vegetable fats are subjected, have been a problem ever since Chevreul determined the constitution of fats in the middle of the last century. Although the experimental work done is enormous, there is no unanimous agreement as to the causes for the rancidity of fats. The results are sometimes very contradictory. It is known that in addition to the purely chemical changes, certain biochemical changes also take place. Various microorganisms are responsible for the break-down of fatty acids. It has been established that molds will attack fatty acids with the formation of methyl ketones as an intermediate product. In the following pages an attempt has been made to show that various species of bacteria will produce methyl ketones in the break-down of butterfat.