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The desirable (left) and undesirable pathways for partial hydrogenation of an unsaturated fat. Elaidic acid is a trans fat with negative health effects. Full hydrogenation results in the conversion of all of the unsaturated fats into saturated fats by transforming all of the double bonds in the fat into single bonds.
In cellular metabolism, unsaturated fat molecules contain less energy (i.e., fewer calories) than an equivalent amount of saturated fat. The greater the degree of unsaturation in a fatty acid (i.e., the more double bonds in the fatty acid) the more susceptible it becomes to lipid peroxidation ( rancidity ).
This pathway utilizes desaturases to synthesize unsaturated fatty acids from full-length saturated fatty acid substrates. [17] All desaturases require oxygen and ultimately consume NADH even though desaturation is an oxidative process.
The cAMP activates a protein kinase, which phosphorylates and thus, in turn, activates a hormone-sensitive lipase in the fat cell. This lipase cleaves free fatty acids from their attachment to glycerol in the fat stored in the fat droplet of the adipocyte. The free fatty acids and glycerol are then released into the blood.
The double bonds of an unsaturated fatty acid can be cleaved by free-radical reactions involving molecular oxygen. This reaction causes the release of malodorous and highly volatile aldehydes and ketones. Because of the nature of free-radical reactions, the reaction is catalyzed by sunlight. [7] Oxidation primarily occurs with unsaturated fats.
Generally, the epidermal lipid matrix is composed of an equimolar mixture of ceramides (about 50% by weight), cholesterol (25%), and free fatty acids (15%). [39] Saturated fatty acids 16 and 18 carbons in length are the dominant types in the epidermis, [39] [40] while unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids of various other lengths ...
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 15 February 2025. Esters of fatty acid or triglycerides This article is about the type of nutrient in food. For fat in animals, see Adipose tissue. For chemistry of fats, see triglyceride. For other uses, see Fat (disambiguation). Idealized representation of a molecule of a typical triglyceride, the main ...
Aside from chain length, transition temperature can also be affected by the degree of unsaturation of the lipid tails. An unsaturated double bond can produce a kink in the alkane chain, disrupting the regular periodic structure. This disruption creates extra free space within the bilayer which allows additional flexibility in the adjacent chains.