The lipid composition of cashmere goat fleece

Abstract

This study examined the differences in the chemical composition of the lipid extracted from the fleeces of intact and gonadectomized Australian cashmere goats (Capra hircus laniger). Lipid was extracted with either petroleum ether or chloroform/methanol, and analysed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A large number of buck specific fatty acids (29), which could be potential pheromones, were identified or tentatively identified. The fatty acid composition of buck fleece lipid is more complex than previously reported.