Fatty acids are composed of fats and oils. They have a wide range of uses, which are based on their hydro-carbonate chains. In essence, the hydro-carbonates are linked to form carboxylic groups and are used as the determinants of the uses. The naturally existing fatty acids have some unique structures, which may either be C4, C22, OR C18 ( Chowdhury et al., 2014 ). Fatty acids are mostly found in complex lipids or naturally occurring. Their structure determines their uses and roles on the process of metabolism. The primary role of fatty acids is to serve as a metabolic fuel. The reference to fatty acid as a fuel literally means it’s a medium of storing and transporting energy along the membranes. Some fatty acids play the role of being metabolites, an essential role in serving as a protection mechanism and creating an electric and thermal insulator. In some cases, the nature of fatty acids allows them to be as soaps and detergents, an element allowed by their micelles and their amphipathic property. The distinguishing element of fatty acids from other structures is the presence of a methyl group, which is attached to carbon chains. Additionally, fatty acids have carboxyl groups. At some point, carbons have double bonds, found next to a methyl end. The nomenclature of fatty acids is made unique from other sources of energy due to the location of the carboxyl group and double carbon bonds.
There are two types of fatty acids, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids mean all the carbon elements are occupied by hydrogen atoms. All saturated fatty acids have their structure and chains as a straight element, regardless of the presence or absence of carbon atoms. Commonly existing fatty acids have a minimum number of carbon atoms as 12 and a maximum of 22 ( Li et al., 2015 ). On the other end, unsaturated fatty acids have less number of carbon atoms. They have double carbon atoms, occurring at different positions. Hydrogen atoms attached to a carbon atom are in most of the cases, they are slanted towards one direction.
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Unsaturated fatty acids can be turned to saturated through an industrial process of hydrogenation. Unsaturated fatty acids have double bonds, which triggers the presence of acyl chain mobility ( Crews & Willingham, 2008 ). A comparison between the two types of fatty acids proves that the presence of double bonds makes the unsaturated to have a low melting point. Unbranched fatty acids are another name used to refer to saturated acids. They can be differentiated from unsaturated from the presence and location of acidic or methyl end.
There are a number of sources of fatty acids. The most common ones are soya beans, hydrolysis of animal fats, palm kernel, crude oil distillation, and coconuts. The use of vegetable oils has been dominating the production of fatty acids, as had attached fatty acids.
The consumption of fatty acids demands the need for the excess free fatty acids in the human body to be broken down. The continuous intake of glucose serves to increase the accumulation of lipogenesis. Glucose is transported to various parts of the body, and the excess is stored in the small intestine. At the time, they are activated to acyl groups, which may be used to perform three major functions. The fatty acids may be used for gene interaction, modified and turned to proteins, or even desaturase to a to a form easily stored ( Li et al., 2015 ). The second function is the process of esterification, responsible for turning the saturated fatty acids to phospholipids, cholesteryl esters, and triglycerides. Oxidation may also be undertaken to produce peroxisome and mitochondria. Through this function, the fatty acids are used to form ATP and dissipate heat to the body.
The first property of fatty acids is that they are insoluble in water. It is especially the case for the long-chained fatty acids. Nonetheless, some fatty acids tend to associate when they are under a different pH and end up forming aqueous solutions. The second property is the ease of extraction from their suspended forms. It is achieved by altering the pH of a solution. An increase leads to the formation of an alkaline solution, used in making soaps.
Fatty acids may be acylated to proteins. Excess fatty acids are converted to proteins for easy storage in the body. Gene interaction is a property of fatty acids, aiding in the reception of proteins. Oxidization of fatty acids serves to enhance the process of lysogenic of genes and glycolysis ( Milanski et al., 2009 ). Glycolysis and oxidation are essential to process aiding in the regulation of body metabolism and production of cells. Peroxidation of lipids is a biological signal of fatty acids. The high levels of unsaturated fatty acids pose a challenge to the human body. Lipid peroxidation is a risk associated with the accumulation of fatty acid, an element necessitating the need to have an antioxidant. The reaction of enzymes in the human body requires the need to have reactions. Hydrolysis is a process where fatty acids are catalyzed by a lipid, base, or even acid. The presence of conducive pressure and temperatures makes fatty acids to readily dissolve in water, a process leading to the formation of soaps, saponification. Esterification is a process where fatty acids react with alcohol. The essence of alcohol is to create a derivative to synthesize the glycerol. The process leads to the formation of methyl esters ( Calder, 2015 ). Acidosis is used in enriching medium-chained fatty acids. Oxidation entails the addition of oxygen to double bonds. It mostly happens in unsaturated fatty acids, resulting in the formation of hydroperoxides. Epoxidation is a fatty acid reaction of reacting peracids with double bonds. The formation of a formic acid makes the hydrogen bonds to be stronger. Hydrogenation entails the breaking of the carboxyl group to the existing double bonds by adding hydrogen atoms. It is used as an industrial process of producing fatty alcohols and hardening of fats. The nature of fatty acids makes them have a wide range of uses. Fatty acids are used in pharmaceutical and epidemiological companies. The application is based on their inactive ingredients in the process of preparing drugs. For instance, fatty acids are used in the production of active substances as they have the capability of being used to form lipids. In the pharmaceutic industry, fatty acids are useful in the emulsion of fats, a significant function in clinical nutrition. The biological functions of fatty acids have directed their use in the formation of biological ingredients ( Calder, 2010 ). Fatty acids are used to manufacture drugs, particularly to oversee the reduction of inflammation and concentration of plasma. Complex fatty acids are used in the cosmetic industry, where they are used to manufacture soaps, liposomes, and fats.
References
Calder, P. C. (2010). Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes. Nutrients , 2 (3), 355-374.
Calder, P. C. (2015). Marine Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: effects, mechanisms and clinical relevance. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids , 1851 (4), 469-484.
Chowdhury, R., Warnakula, S., Kunutsor, S., Crowe, F., Ward, H. A., Johnson, L., ... & Khaw, K. T. (2014). Association of dietary, circulating, and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of internal medicine , 160 (6), 398-406.
Crews, J. B., & Willingham, J. R. (2008). U.S. Patent No. 7,347,266 . Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Li, Y., Hruby, A., Bernstein, A. M., Ley, S. H., Wang, D. D., Chiuve, S. E., ... & Hu, F. B. (2015). Saturated fats compared with unsaturated fats and sources of carbohydrates in relation to risk of coronary heart disease: a prospective cohort study. Journal of the American College of Cardiology , 66 (14), 1538-1548.
Milanski, M., Degasperi, G., Coope, A., Morari, J., Denis, R., Cintra, D. E., ... & Curi, R. (2009). Saturated fatty acids produce an inflammatory response predominantly through the activation of TLR4 signaling in hypothalamus: implications for the pathogenesis of obesity. Journal of Neuroscience , 29 (2), 359-370.
