Question

Why are fats found in animals solid
is this because animals are energetic so can easily break down the solid fats

Answer 1

Answer:

Why Add Fats to Animal Diets?

Nutritionally, fats are excellent sources of energy and are essential to the survival of animals. Fats are the sole source of essential fatty acids (those that cannot be made by the body) for animals. Fats can also provide fat-soluble vitamins. However, this role is very minimal in livestock as feeds are supplemented with vitamins.

The most important role of dietary fat is to provide essential fatty acids.

As the fat content of the diet increases, the energy density of the diet goes up.

Physically, the addition of fats is associated with the improvement of feed quality, the reduction of dust in feed, the reduction of feed particle separation during processing, an increase in palatability, an increase in digestive lubrication (i.e., emulsification and rate of passage), and an increase in feed digestibility.

Fatty Acids: What Are They?

Fatty acids are the main players in lipid nutrition. This is due to their diversity in structure, composition, and metabolizability. The molecular composition of a fatty acid includes a hydrophilic carboxyl group (−COOH) and a hydrophobic methyl group (−CH3) at opposite terminals of a hydrocarbon backbone (see Figure 6.1).

Figure 6.1. Fatty acid structure with hydrocarbon chain showing carboxyl and methyl end

In most cases, three fatty acids are attached to the glycerol molecule and are called triacylglycerol. The three fatty acids in triacylglycerol can differ in chain length (i.e., total carbons in the fatty acid molecule) as well as in the number of double bonds.

A schematic representation of a triacylglycerol structure with three fatty acids on a glycerol backbone is shown below.

Fatty acid composition and structure determine the physical property and nutritional quality of fats. For example, when there is a predominance of saturated fats in the triacylglycerol, fat tends to solidify (e.g., fat around a piece of meat), and when there is a predominance of unsaturated fats, fat tends to liquefy (e.g., salad oil).