Triglyceride

Types of fats in food
Components
Manufactured fats
Example of an unsaturated fat triglyceride (C55H98O6). Left part: glycerol; right part, from top to bottom: palmitic acid, oleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid.

A triglyceride (from tri- and glyceride; also TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids.[1] Triglycerides are the main constituents of body fat in humans and other vertebrates as well as vegetable fat.[2] They are also present in the blood to enable the bidirectional transference of adipose fat and blood glucose from the liver and are a major component of human skin oils.[3]

Many types of triglycerides exist. One specific classification focuses on saturated and unsaturated types. Saturated fats have no C=C groups; unsaturated fats feature one or more C=C groups. Unsaturated fats tend to have a lower melting point than saturated analogues; as a result, they are often liquid at room temperature.

  1. ^ "Nomenclature of Lipids". IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (CBN). Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  2. ^ Nelson, D. L.; Cox, M. M. (2000). Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry (3rd ed.). New York: Worth Publishing. ISBN 1-57259-153-6.
  3. ^ Lampe, M. A.; Burlingame, A. L.; Whitney, J.; Williams, M. L.; Brown, B. E.; Roitman, E.; Elias, M. (1983). "Human stratum corneum lipids: characterization and regional variations". J. Lipid Res. 24 (2): 120–130. doi:10.1016/S0022-2275(20)38005-6. PMID 6833889.