Lipids Biochem

Lipids
Fats and Lipids are organic compounds

composed of fatty acids.
They are poorly soluble in water, but quite
soluble in organic solvents like benzene,
chloroform and ether
 Lipids contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
but have far less oxygen proportionally than
carbohydrates.
Lipids are an important part of living cells.
Food that contains Fats
are as follows:
• Fish • Oil
• Meat • Doughnuts
• Cheese • Chocolates
• Butter • Avocado
• Nuts & Seeds
Why do we need fats?
A small amount of fat is an essential part

of a healthy, balanced diet. Fat is a source
of essential fatty acids, which the body
cannot make itself.
Fat helps the body absorb vitamin A,
vitamin D and vitamin E. These vitamins
are fat-soluble, meaning they can only be
absorbed with the help of fats.
The main types of fat found in food are:
• saturated fats
• unsaturated fats
Most fats and oils contain both

saturated and unsaturated fats in
different proportions.
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are found in many foods, both
sweet and savory. Most of them come from
animal sources, including meat and dairy
products, as well as some plant foods, like
palm oil and coconut oil.
Foods high in saturated fats:

• Fatty cuts of meat
• Meat products, including sausages and
pies
• Butter
• Cheese
Unsaturated Fats
Unsaturated fats are loosely packed.
They tend to be liquid at room
temperature. Replacing saturated fat
with unsaturated fat can improve
your health. Unsaturated fat comes
from plants. It’s found in:
• vegetable oils
• olives
• nuts and seeds
• some fish
Trans Fats
Trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in
an industrial process that adds hydrogen to
liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid.
The primary dietary source for trans fats in
processed food is “partially hydrogenated
oils.“
• Crackers, cookies, cakes, frozen pies, and
other baked goods.
• Snack foods (such as microwave popcorn)
• Frozen pizza.
• Fast-food.
• Too much fat in your diet, especially
saturated fats, can raise your cholesterol,
which increases the risk of heart disease.
• men should not have more than 30g of

saturated fat a day
• women should not have more than 20g of
saturated fat a day
• children should have less
Function of Lipids
For storage and transport forms

of metabolic fuels.
Lipids provide the greatest
amount of energy from
consumption, having more than
twice the amount of energy as
proteins and carbohydrates.
Aiding Digestion and Increasing
Bioavailability. The dietary fats in the
foods we eat break down in our digestive
systems and begin the transport of
precious micronutrients. By carrying fat-
soluble nutrients through the digestive
process, intestinal absorption is
improved.
As a structural components of
membranes.
Categories of Lipids
• Triglycerides
• Phospholipids
• Steroids
• Waxes
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of fat. They are
the most common type of fat in your
body. They come from foods, especially
butter, oils, and other fats you eat. The
triglycerides are stored in your fat cells.
Later, hormones release triglycerides for
energy between meals.
Fatty Acids
• Saturated fat: A fat that contains only
saturated fatty acids, is solid at room
temperature, and comes chiefly from
animal food products. Some examples of
saturated fat are butter, lard, meat fat,
solid shortening, palm oil, and coconut
oil. Saturated fat tends to raise the level
of cholesterol in the blood.
• Unsaturated fat: A fat that is liquid at
room temperature and comes from a
plant, such as olive, peanut, corn,
cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, or
soybean oil. Unsaturated fat tends not to
raise the level of (Low-density
lipoprotein)LDL cholesterol in the blood.
• Trans fatty acid
Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and
increases the shelf life and the flavor
stability of oils and foods that contain
them. Trans fatty acids are found in
vegetable shortening and in some
margarine, crackers, cookies, and snack
foods. ... Also known as trans fat.
Phospholipids
• Phospholipids typically consist of a hydrophilic
polar phosphate head and a hydrophobic tail
of two fatty acids. In aqueous environments,
phospholipids typically form semipermeable
bilayers in which the hydrophilic heads point
outward and the hydrophobic tails point
inward.
• A phospholipid is a type of lipid molecule that
is the main component of the cell membrane.
Steroids
• One of a large group of chemical substances
classified by a specific carbon structure.
Steroids include drugs used to relieve swelling
and inflammation, such as prednisone and
cortisone; vitamin D; and some sex hormones,
such as testosterone and estrogen.
• Steroid hormones help control metabolism,
inflammation, immune functions, salt and
water balance, development of sexual
characteristics, and the ability to withstand
illness and injury.
Waxes
• Wax is a solid, slightly shiny substance made
of fat or oil which is used to make candles.
• Waxes are found in nature as coatings on
leaves and stems. The wax prevents the plant
from losing excessive amounts of water.
Digestion and Absorption of Lipids
• Lipids are large molecules and generally are

not water-soluble. Like carbohydrates and
protein, lipids are broken into small
components for absorption. Since most of our
digestive enzymes are water-based, how does
the body break down fat and make it available
for the various functions it must perform in
the human body?
From the Mouth to the Stomach
• The first step in the digestion of triglycerides
and phospholipids begins in the mouth as lipids
encounter saliva. Next, the physical action of
chewing coupled with the action of emulsifiers
enables the digestive enzymes to do their tasks.
The enzyme lingual lipase, along with a small
amount of phospholipid as an emulsifier,
initiates the process of digestion. These actions
cause the fats to become more accessible to
the digestive enzymes. As a result, the fats
become tiny droplets and separate from the
watery components.
• In the stomach, gastric lipase starts to break
down triglycerides into diglycerides and fatty
acids. Within two to four hours after eating a
meal, roughly 30 percent of the triglycerides
are converted to diglycerides and fatty acids.
The stomach’s churning and contractions help
to disperse the fat molecules, while the
diglycerides derived in this process act as
further emulsifiers. However, even amid all of
this activity, very little fat digestion occurs in
the stomach.

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Lipids

Fats and Lipids are organic compounds

A small amount of fat is an essential part

Most fats and oils contain both

Foods high in saturated fats:

• men should not have more than 30g of

For storage and transport forms

• Lipids are large molecules and generally are

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