Unsaturated Fatty Acid Definition Biology

Fats are a blazon of elementary lipids, which are esters of fatty acid and glycerol, and remain solid at room temperature.

A fatty acid is a component of lipids, which are fabricated up of carboxylic acids and a hydrocarbon side concatenation.

(Fatty Acid + Glycerol = Fats)

What are Fatty Acids?
Nomenclature of Fat Acids
- Saturated, Unsaturated fat acids and Eicosanoids
- Length of hydrocarbon concatenation
- Essential and non-essential fatty acids
Classification of Fatty Acids
Trans Fats
Role of Fatty Acids
References

What are Fatty Acids?

Fatty acids consist of a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain with a terminal carboxylic acid hence information technology is as well termed aliphatic carboxylic acids.
They occur in esterified form besides as a free fatty acid class.
It is found in fats, oils, and other lipids In the esterified class.
As free fatty acids (FFA) it is plant unesterified in the plasma.
Most of the fatty acids found in natural lipids contain even carbon atoms (14C-20C). This is considering the biosynthesis of fatty acids occurs with the addition of 2 carbon units.
Palmitic acrid (16C) and stearic acrid (18C) are most normally found.

If the hydrocarbon chain of the fatty acrid contains no double bail it is termed saturated fat acids since there is no room for whatsoever more than bonding.
If the hydrocarbon chain of the fat acid contains one or more double bonds, information technology is termed unsaturated fatty acid
Eicosanoids are derived from 20 carbon, polyenoic fatty acids, which are made up of prostanoids, leukotrienes, and lipoxins.
Fatty acids with one double bond are called monounsaturated fat acid
Fatty acids with two or more than double bonds are called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
In unsaturated fatty acids, the double bonds are generally spaced at three carbon intervals.
Most naturally occurring unsaturated fatty acids have the cis configuration of double bonds
The addition of a double bond decreases the melting temperature (T_k) of the fatty acid.

Short-concatenation fatty acid contains less than six carbons in the hydrocarbon chain
Information technology is termed medium-chain fatty acid if it contains 8- 14 carbons
Long-concatenation fatty acrid contains sixteen -24 carbons in the hydrocarbon concatenation
The melting temperature (T_m) of the fatty acid increases with the addition of carbon atoms to the hydrocarbon concatenation.

Essential fatty acids (EFA) are not synthesized past the body hence they must be obtained from dietary sources
Linoleic acid is a forerunner of Omega-six arachidonic acid.
α-linolenic acid, a forerunner of Omega-3 fatty acid
Not-essential fat acids are synthesized past a healthy body as long it gets enough essential fatty acids.
However, research shows the additional health benefits of directly consumption of non-essential fatty acids as well.

The systematic nomenclature of the fatty acid is based on the hydrocarbon information technology is derived from.
The names of the saturated fatty acids end with a suffix -anoic (e.thou., octanoic acid), whereas an unsaturated fat acid's proper name ends with a suffix -enoic (e.chiliad., octadecenoic acid).
The numbering of carbon atoms begins from its carboxyl carbon, hence the carboxy carbon is given the number 1. Adjacent carbon atoms are numbered ii, 3, 4 and so on. The second, third, and fourth carbons are also referred to equally α, β, and γ.
The final carbon atom on the other end containing the methyl group is referred to as Omega (ω) carbon. Carbon atoms are alternatively numbered from the ω carbon side equally ω₁, ω_2,ω₃, ω_4,etc.

Trans fats are unsaturated fatty acids in which the double bail is arranged in a trans configuration.
About naturally occurring unsaturated fat acids in the body have double bonds with cis configuration.
Trans fatty acids ascend primarily equally an industrial source when edible oil containing unsaturated fatty acid is partially hydrogenated. Additionally, the unsaturated fatty acrid in the rumen of ruminants similar cows, goats, and sheep is transformed past bacteria into trans fatty.
Trans fatty acids also arise when cooking oil is heated to a very high temperature or when the cooking oil is repeatedly heated many times.
Consumption of trans fats is associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellites, colon cancer, etc.

Fat acrid as a modulator of membrane properties:
- Prokaryotes, similar bacteria, alter the fat acrid composition to maintain membrane fluidity in response to temperature changes.
- The eukaryotic cell membrane is made up of a phospholipid bilayer, which controls the transport of molecules to and for, regulates cellular communications, and protects the cell from the surrounding environment.
Energy supply and storage material:
- Fat acids are used to produce neutral storage lipids like triglycerols (TAG), Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and wax esters.
Omega 3 PUFA (Polyunsaturated fatty acids) is required for normal growth and functioning of the encephalon and retina.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) acts as a neurotrophic moderator, modulates synaptic activity, involved in anti-inflammatory signaling.
Biomarkers of organism:
- A sure fatty acid is specific to a fellow member of a taxon of a bacterium every bit well as a eukaryotic cell, additionally, fatty acids take structural diversity.
- Hence the presence of certain fatty acids and their ratio is a practiced biomarker.
- Prokaryotes can exist identified by their fat acid fingerprint.
- The fatty acrid markers are used to track energy fluxes in food webs.

Dhaka et al. (2011). Trans fats—sources, health risks, and alternative arroyo – A review. J Food Sci Technol,48(5),534–541.
Carla et al. (2018). The Various Roles of Fatty Acids. Molecules. 23, 2583.
Ferrier, D., 2014. Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry. 6th ed. 351 Westward Camden Street 2 Commerce Foursquare; 2001 Market Street Baltimore, MD 21201 Philadelphia, PA 19103: Walter Kluwer, pp.340-344.
Rodwell, V., Bender, D., Botham, K., Kennelly, P., and Weil, P., 2018. Harper'southward illustrated biochemistry. 31st ed. United stated: McGraw-Hill, pp.484-494.
Sathyanarayana, U.,Chakrapani, U., 2006. Biochemistry. 3rd ed. Kolkata, Republic of india: Books and allied (P), Ltd, pp.28-34.

Source: https://thebiologynotes.com/fatty-acids/