Fatty acids and sterols in sediments of Hooghly estuary, northeast coast of India

Abstract

Total fatty acid content of sediments varied from 7.7 to 25 per cent of total organic carbon. Chain lengths of fatty acid ranged from C₁₂ to C ₂₀. Among the normal saturated fatty acids, palmitic acid (C sub 16:0) was the major component in almost all sediment samples. Unsaturated fatty acids like myristoleic (C _14:1), palmitoleic (C _16:1), oleic (C _18:1), linoleic (C _18:2) and linolenic (C _18:3) acids were also present. Total sterol varied from 0.12 to 6.64 per cent of total organic carbon. The sediments showed the presence of cholesterol, cambesterol, stigmasterol and beta-sitosterol. Distributions and abundances of cholesterol and beta-sitosterol were inversely related to each other.