The terahertz transmission spectra of seed oils are measured in the frequency range extending from 0.2 to 1.4 THz using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The absorption spectra of three acid compounds (octadecanoic acid, octadecenoic acid and octadecadienoic acid) in seed oils are recorded and simulated using both THz-TDS and density functional theory (DFT) methods. Support vector regression (SVR) model using the raw measured terahertz spectral data directly as input of the principal component is established and is employed to determinate three acid compounds content for the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Comparison of the experimental data using liquid chromatography with predictions based on support vector regression, respectively, exhibits excellent agreement. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.