Overview
ABSTRACT
The article presents the nomenclatures of fatty acids with the chemical and physical properties of the main oils and fats as well as their contents. Data is provided concerning the production of 17 compounds, structures of 67 fatty acids, characteristics of 75 oils and fats of nutritional interest, including their composition and content in unsaponifiables of vegetable oils. Oils from different varieties of the same species have been included in order to highlight advances in the selection of plants and their genetic modifications.
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Read the articleAUTHOR
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Albert J. DIJKSTRA : PhD - Fellow of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, Scientific advisor - Former director of research and development at the Vandemoortele Group, Belgium
INTRODUCTION
Edible fats are esters of triglycerol and fatty acids, also called triacylglycerols or triglycerides. This article presents the essential chemical and physical properties of the main fatty acids and fats. Generally speaking, those acids which are naturally derived are characterised by an even number of carbon atoms and linear chains which may contain one or more double bonds in a cis configuration. Multiple double bonds are often separated by a CH 2 methylene group.
Fats of plant or animal origin, whether land-dwelling or marine, are produced using very familiar technologies. More recently, micro-organisms – particularly algae – have been demonstrated to be new source of oils.
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KEYWORDS
composition | fats | oils | fatty acids | unsaponifiable matter
Fatty substances
World production of oils and fats
Bibliographical sources
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