Question

What is meant by fatty acids

Answer 1

Answer:

Fatty acids are the building blocks of the fat in our bodies and in the food we eat. During digestion, the body breaks down fats into fatty acids, which can then be absorbed into the blood. Fatty acid molecules are usually joined together in groups of three, forming a molecule called a triglyceride.

Answer 2

Definition:

Fatty acids in plants, animals, and microorganisms make the essential components of lipids (fat-soluble components of living cells). A fatty acid generally consists of a straight chain of an even number of carbon atoms, with hydrogen atoms along the chain length and at one end of the chain and at the other end of a carboxyl group (-COOH).

It is that group of carboxyls that makes it an acid (carboxylic acid). The acid is saturated if the carbon-to-carbon bonds are all single; if any of the bonds are double or triple, the acid is unsaturated and more reactive.

List of Fatty Acids

1. Palmitic acid
2. Stearic acid
3. Oleic acid
4. Linolenic acid

Fatty Acids Examples

The 16- and 18-carbon fatty acids, better known as palmitic acid and stearic acid, are among the most commonly distributed fatty acids. In the lipids of most species, both palmitic and stearic acids exist. Palmitic acid makes up as much as 30 percent of body fat in animals. It accounts for between 5 and 50 percent of the lipids in vegetable fats, with palm oil being particularly abundant. In certain vegetable oils (e.g. cocoa butter and shea butter), stearic acid is abundant and makes up a relatively high proportion of the lipids present in ruminant tallows.