the hydrolysis of plant extracts gave quite different results than the hydrolysis of standard TGs. The most important difference wasthe presence of transesterification products (ethyl esters of FAs)in plant samples treated with the KOH solution in 99.8% ethanol,which were not formed when standard TGs were hydrolyzed using exactly the same procedure. Thus, the formation of FA ethyl esters depends some how on the composition of the mixture subjectedto hydrolysis and not on the method applied. The mechanism ofthis reaction remains, however, unknown. When the solution in95% and 50% ethanol or in methanol was used, ethyl or methylesters were still easily detected in the samples in large amounts.The shorter reaction time (1 or 2 h) also did not improve the results.The presence of transesterification products in samples subjected to hydrolysis using KOH solution in methanol was not a troubleas long as methyl esters were synthesized.