Solidification of unsaturated/saturated fatty acid mixtures and its relationship to chilling sensitivity in plants

Freezing points of mixtures of palmitic and linoleic, or palmitic and linolenic acids, the predominant fatty acids in plants, decrease slowly as the unsaturated fatty acid is increased to 60 mole %. Beyond this per cent the freezing point is depressed quite markedly by each addition of unsaturated fatty acid. Linoleic and linolenic acids have similar effects on the freezing points of the mixtures until about 82 mole % unsaturated fatty acid. Differences of less than 5% in the amount of unsaturated fatty acid have a marked effect on the freezing point of mixtures at the approximate composition of fatty acid in plant membrane lipids.