Saturated fatty-acid

A fatty-acid saturated is a Fatty-acid having carbon atoms completely saturated with hydrogen (see fig. 1.). Each carbon carries the possible maximum of hydrogen. One cannot add hydrogen to the molecule; it is saturated.

All the connections between carbons are simple (not double linkings carbon-carbon).

Food sources

The saturated fatty-acids are in particular in animal greases (Lait, Fromage, Beurre, Viande, Lard, etc ) but also in the Huile of coconut and palm (see table 2). They tend to be solid with room temperature.

Type of saturated fatty-acid

The saturated fatty-acids can be:

linear with a chain of N related ones to the others (in the example below), and a chemical formula of the form:

where N is an integer equal or higher than 2.

or nonlinear . Certain saturated fatty-acids can be, for example ramified :

methylated like the acid isopalmitic (acid 14-methyl-pentadécanoïque: );

ethyls;

etc

Nomenclature

Each saturated fatty-acid has two names in general:

a common name which often points out its origin. For example, the Caproic acid (of Latin “ will capra ”, goat) is in the Goat's milk;
a systematic name describing its structure (many carbons, number of non-saturation, etc ) and resulting from the chemical nomenclature:

acid (radical of the number of carbon) anoïque where:

the radical corresponds to the number of carbon atoms of the fatty-acid;

year indicates that it is about a Alkyle;

oïque that it is about a Carboxylic acid .

To that a nomenclature often used in Physiologie and Biochimie is added:

fatty-acid C X : 0 where:

C X indicates the number of carbon atoms;

0 indicates that there is zero double connection carbon-carbon and consequently, that the fatty-acid is saturated.

Examples of saturated fatty-acids

Effects on health

Consumed in excess, the saturated fatty-acids increase the Cholestérolémie and the rate of LDL. However, some claim that there exists a relation between a cholesterol high rate and LDL in the blood and the increase in the cardiovascular disease risk: “ the responsibility for high rates of LDLc (cholesterol LDL) was established in the coronaropathies ”. It thus remains to be seen which impact with consumption of fatty-acids saturated on the ratio with total cholesterol on LDL.

All the saturated fatty-acids do not present however the same cardiovascular risk: fatty-acids with average chain (e.g. the lauric acid C12: 0, the myristic acid C14: 0 or the palmitic acid C16: 0, which approx. accounts for 30% of ox greases, sheep or pig) exert effects more noxious than the saturated fatty-acids with long chain (like the stearic acid C18: 0, approx. 27% of ox greases or sheep).

Category: Fatty-acid

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