Analysis of Fatty Acids in Wool Oil Extracted from Mongolian Sheep Wool using Gas Chromatography and Infrared Spectrophotometry

To develop a method for extracting wool oil from Mongolian sheep wool, evaluate its quality, and determine the fatty acid composition. The extraction of wool oil was performed using the Soxhlet method. Fatty acid content was determined by gas chromatography, while saponification and ester numbers were assessed using titrimetric methods. Functional compounds in the wool oil were identified using infrared spectrophotometry, with further analysis conducted through gas chromatography. Infrared spectroscopy identified valence and deformation oscillations at 3308.01 cm-1, 2922.47 cm-1, 1743.46 cm-1, 1378.34 cm-1, 1465.76 cm-1, 720.83 cm-1, and 1085.39 cm-1. Gas chromatography revealed 14 distinct fatty acids, with saturated fatty acids accounting for 66.6%, and unsaturated fatty acids making up 33.3%. Polyunsaturated fatty acids comprised 26.26%, while monounsaturated fatty acids represented 7.14% of the total. The analysis identified key functional groups (C=O, CH3, CH2, C-C, C-O, O-H) in wool oil using infrared spectroscopy. The fatty acid composition of the extracted wool oil included a predominance of saturated fatty acids (66.6%) and a significant proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (26.26%). This method provides a viable alternative for extracting and utilizing wool oil from Mongolian sheep wool.