Fats and lipids, Biology

Assignment Help:

 

  • Composed of C, H and O (fewer polar OH bonds than carbohydrates)
  • Can be used at energy storage, components of cell membranes, chemical signals & thermal insulation
    • Are a more efficient energy source then carbohydrates
  • 4 families à fats (triglycerides), phospholipids, steroids & waxes

Triglycerides

                                                                                                        2331_fats and lipids.png

Triglycerides - An ester of 3 fatty acids + a glycerol molecule
Glycerol - a 3 carbon alcohol with 3 hydroxyl groups
Fatty Acid - a long-chain carboxylic acid

  • Fatty acids can be saturated of unsaturated and usually even numbered (16 or 18)
    • Saturated -> In animals                                                                                                                                                 Long straight chains and can rotate freely on the glycerol backbone

                      Can be packed tightly together à solids

               o  Unsaturated ->in plants

                        Cannot rotate freely and have kinks in their chain (due to 'cis' & 'trans' shapes from the double bond)

                        Cannot be packed closer together à liquids

Phospholipids

  • Glycerol + 2 fatty acids
  • Has hydrophobic tails and a hydrophilic head

Steroids

  • Hydrophobic molecules with 4 fused hydrocarbon rings (e.g. cholesterol, vitamin D, bile salts)

Waxes

  • Lipids containing long chain fatty acids linked to alcohols or carbon rings
  • Hydrophobic

 


Related Discussions:- Fats and lipids

Baby''s persistent and increasing jaundice, A mother has brought her 2-week...

A mother has brought her 2-week-old infant to the emergency department due to the baby's persistent and increasing jaundice. Blood testing reveals that the infant's unconjugated bi

Wbcs types, mode of action of wbcs types

mode of action of wbcs types

Determine the groups of soil organisms, Determine the groups of soil organi...

Determine the groups of soil organisms The soil organisms are classified into two broad groups viz. soil flora (related to plants) and soil fauna (related to animals) which ar

Explain microorganisms associated with the raw foods, Explain Microorganism...

Explain Microorganisms Associated With The Raw Foods? Foods of animal and plant origin are in direct contact with air, soil and water and get contaminated with the microorganis

How many atp molecules are made after glycolysis, How many ATP molecules ar...

How many ATP molecules are made after glycolysis? Glycolysis is a process same to glucose degradation in fermentation. It forms (final balance) two molecules of ATP for each br

Flaws in developmen of human, Flaws in Developmen of Human The human ...

Flaws in Developmen of Human The human growth and development in spite of its complexity works perfectly most of the time. But while development goes awry it creates a giant

What is adaptive convergence?, What is adaptive convergence? The Adapti...

What is adaptive convergence? The Adaptive convergence is the phenomenon by which living beings facing the same environmental pressure (problems) and undergoing genetic variabi

Explain what dietary factors, Michael eats steak & cheese sub sandwiches ev...

Michael eats steak & cheese sub sandwiches every day of the week. Explain the types of fats that are found in steak & cheese subs and the properties of each type. Jillian eats

Explain about the methods of food processing, Explain about the Methods of ...

Explain about the Methods of Food Processing? In the earlier unit we learnt about the principles and traditional methods of food processing. Now in the next two units we will f

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd