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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 ...
Animal fats are lipids derived from animals which are used by the animal for a multitude of functions, or can be used by humans for dietary, sanitary, and cosmetic purposes. Depending on the temperature of the fat, it can change between a solid state and a liquid state. Chemically, both fats and oils are composed of triglycerides.
Neutral fats, also known as true fats, are simple lipids that are produced by the dehydration synthesis of one or more fatty acids with an alcohol like glycerol. Neutral fats are also known as triacylglycerols, [1] these lipids are dense as well as hydrophobic due to their long carbon chain and are there main function is to store energy ...
This in turn plays an important role in the structure and function of cell membranes. [25]: 193–5 Most naturally occurring fatty acids are of the cis configuration, although the trans form does exist in some natural and partially hydrogenated fats and oils. [26]
The chemical analysis of fatty acids in lipids typically begins with an interesterification step that breaks down their original esters (triglycerides, waxes, phospholipids etc.) and converts them to methyl esters, which are then separated by gas chromatography [41] or analyzed by gas chromatography and mid-infrared spectroscopy.
Organic oils may also contain chemicals other than lipids, including proteins, waxes (class of compounds with oil-like properties that are solid at common temperatures) and alkaloids. Lipids can be classified by the way that they are made by an organism, their chemical structure and their limited solubility in water compared to oils.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids are precursors to and are derived from polyunsaturated fats, which include drying oils. [3] Chemical structure of the polyunsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid 3D representation of linoleic acid in a bent conformation Chemical structure of α-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega−3 fatty acid
A saturated fat is a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have all single bonds between the carbon atoms. A fat known as a glyceride is made of two kinds of smaller molecules: a short glycerol backbone and fatty acids that each contain a long linear or branched chain of carbon (C) atoms.