Common Fatty Acids
Chemical Names and Descriptions of some Common Fatty Acids
Common Name Carbon
Atoms Double
Bonds Scientific Name Sources
Butyric acid 4 0 butanoic acid butterfat
Caproic Acid 6 0 hexanoic acid butterfat
Caprylic Acid 8 0 octanoic acid coconut oil
Capric Acid 10 0 decanoic acid coconut oil
Lauric Acid 12 0 dodecanoic acid coconut oil
Myristic Acid 14 0 tetradecanoic acid palm kernel oil
Palmitic Acid 16 0 hexadecanoic acid palm oil
Palmitoleic Acid 16 1 9-hexadecenoic acid animal fats
Stearic Acid 18 0 octadecanoic acid animal fats
Oleic Acid 18 1 9-octadecenoic acid olive oil
Linoleic Acid 18 2 9,12-octadecadienoic acid corn oil
Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) 18 3 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid flaxseed (linseed) oil
Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA) 18 3 6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid borage oil
Arachidic Acid 20 0 eicosanoic acid peanut oil, fish oil
Gadoleic Acid 20 1 9-eicosenoic acid fish oil
Arachidonic Acid (AA) 20 4 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid liver fats
EPA 20 5 5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid fish oil
Behenic acid 22 0 docosanoic acid rapeseed oil
Erucic acid 22 1 13-docosenoic acid rapeseed oil
DHA 22 6 4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid fish oil
Lignoceric acid 24 0 tetracosanoic acid small amounts in most fats
Fatty acids consist of the elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) arranged as a carbon chain skeleton with a carboxyl group (-COOH) at one end. Saturated fatty acids have all the hydrogen that the carbon atoms can hold, and therefore, have no double bonds between the carbons. Monounsaturated fatty acids have only one double bond. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have more than one double bond.
Butyric Acid
Butyric acid (butanoic acid) is one of the saturated short-chain fatty acids responsible for the characteristic flavor of butter. This image is a detailed structural formula explicitly showing four bonds for every carbon atom and can also be represented as the equivalent line formulas:
CH3CH2CH2COOH or CH3(CH2)2COOH
The numbers at the beginning of the scientific names indicate the locations of the double bonds. By convention, the carbon of the carboxyl group is carbon number one. Greek numeric prefixes such as di, tri, tetra, penta, hexa, etc., are used as multipliers and to describe the length of carbon chains containing more than four atoms. Thus, "9,12-octadecadienoic acid" indicates that there is an 18-carbon chain (octa deca) with two double bonds (di en) located at carbons 9 and 12, with carbon 1 constituting a carboxyl group (oic acid) . The structural formula corresponds to:
CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH=CHCH2CH=CHCH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2C OOH
9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Linoleic Acid)
which would be abbreviated as:
CH3(CH2)4CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)7COOH
Fatty acids are frequently represented by a notation such as C18:2 that indicates that the fatty acid consists of an 18-carbon chain and 2 double bonds. Although this could refer to any of several possible fatty acid isomers with this chemical composition, it implies the naturally-occurring fatty acid with these characteristics, i.e., linoleic acid.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fatty Acid Configurations
What are Trans Fats?
Double bonds bind carbon atoms tightly and prevent rotation of the carbon atoms along the bond axis. This gives rise to configurational isomers which are arrangements of atoms that can only be changed by breaking the bonds.
Cis-9-octadecenoic acid
(Oleic acid) Trans-9-octadecenoic acid
(Elaidic acid)
These three-dimensional molecular projections show the Cis and Trans configurational isomers of 9-octadecenoic acid with the hydrogen atoms shown in blue. The Latin prefixes Cis and Trans describe the orientation of the hydrogen atoms with respect to the double bond. Cis means "on the same side" and Trans means "across" or "on the other side". Naturally occurring fatty acids generally have the Cis configuration. The natural form of 9-octadecenoic acid (oleic acid) found in olive oil has a "V" shape due to the Cis configuration at position 9. The Trans configuration (elaidic acid) looks more like a straight line.
Cis Configuration Trans Configuration
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What are Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids?
Omega-3 (ω3) and omega-6 (ω6) fatty acids are unsaturated "Essential Fatty Acids" (EFAs) that need to be included in the diet because the human metabolism cannot create them from other fatty acids. These fatty acids use the Greek alphabet (α,β,γ,...,ω) to identify the location of the double bonds. The "alpha" carbon is the carbon closest to the carboxyl group, and the "omega" is the last carbon of the chain because omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid because it has a double bond six carbons away from the "omega" carbon. Similarly, alpha-linolenic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid because it has a double bond three carbons away from the "omega" carbon. By subtracting the highest double-bond locant in the scientific name from the number of carbons in the fatty acid we can obtain its classification. For arachidonic acid, we subtract 14 from 20 to obtain 6; therefore, it is an omega-6 fatty acid. This type of terminology is sometimes applied to oleic acid which is an omega-9 fatty acid.
In these simplified structural formulas of unsaturated fatty acids, each angle represents a carbon atom. Notice that all the double bonds have the Cis configuration. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are sometimes called n3 and n6 fatty acids.
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and AA (arachidonic acid) are both crucial to the optimal development of the brain and eyes. The importance of DHA and AA in infant nutrition is well established, and both substances are routinely added to infant formulas. An imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may lead to a variety of mental disorders, including hyperactivity, depression, and schizophrenia. A balanced ratio of these two fatty acid families is necessary for a healthy brain.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fats and Oils
What are triglycerides?
Vegetable cooking oils and animal fats consist mainly of triglycerides. Triglycerides have lower densities than water (they float on water), and at normal room temperatures may be solid or liquid. When solid, they are called "fats" or "butters" and when liquid they are called "oils". Triglycerides are chemical compounds formed from one molecule of glycerol and three fatty acids.
Oleic Acid Glycerol or Glycerin
Glycerol is a trihydric alcohol (containing three -OH hydroxyl groups) that can combine with up to three fatty acids to form monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triglycerides. Fatty acids may combine with any of the three hydroxyl groups to create a wide diversity of compounds. Monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triglycerides are classified as esters which are compounds created by the reaction between acids and alcohols that release water (H2O) as a by-product.
C18:1
C18:1
C16:0
C18:0
C18:0
C18:0
Triglycerides
The triglyceride structural formula on the left is typical of olive oil. It consists of two radicals of oleic acid and one of palmitic acid attached to glycerol (the vertical carbon chain). The small squares represent the fatty acid components of the glyceride molecules. The picture on the right shows the three-dimensional molecular structure of tristearin, a triglyceride with three stearic acid radicals. Oxygen atoms are shown in red, carbon atoms as dark gray, and hydrogen atoms as blue. Tristearin is found as a minor component in many natural fats.
Soap is made traditionally by heating an alkali like sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with animal fat. The chemical reaction (hydrolysis) produces glycerol and soap, which consists of the sodium salts of the fatty acids, e.g., sodium stearate (CH3(CH2)16C(O)O- Na+).
C18:1
-
C16:0
Diglyceride
Diglycerides have two fatty acid radicals, whereas monoglycerides have only one fatty acid radical per molecule of glycerol.
All esters of glycerol and fatty acids are metabolized in the same way. Monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triglycerides all have 9 Calories per gram, but some nutrition labels hide the calories of mono- and diglycerides under the contention that "fat" consists only of triglycerides.
Click here for more information on "Fat Free" labeling.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fatty acid composition of some common edible fats and oils.
Percent of total fatty acids.
Oil or Fat Unsat./Sat.
ratio Saturated Mono
unsaturated Poly
unsaturated
Capric
Acid
C10:0 Lauric
Acid
C12:0 Myristic
Acid
C14:0 Palmitic
Acid
C16:0 Stearic
Acid
C18:0 Oleic
Acid
C18:1 Linoleic
Acid (ω6)
C18:2 Alpha
Linolenic
Acid (ω3)
C18:3
Beef Tallow 0.9 - - 3 24 19 43 3 1
Butterfat (cow) 0.5 3 3 11 27 12 29 2 1
Butterfat (human) 1.0 2 5 8 25 8 35 9 1
Canola Oil 15.7 - - - 4 2 62 22 10
Cocoa Butter 0.6 - - - 25 38 32 3 -
Cod Liver Oil 2.9 - - 8 17 - 22 5 -
Coconut Oil 0.1 6 47 18 9 3 6 2 -
Corn Oil (Maize Oil) 6.7 - - - 11 2 28 58 1
Cottonseed Oil 2.8 - - 1 22 3 19 54 1
Flaxseed Oil 9.0 - - - 3 7 21 16 53
Grape seed Oil 7.3 - - - 8 4 15 73 -
Lard (Pork fat) 1.2 - - 2 26 14 44 10 -
Olive Oil 4.6 - - - 13 3 71 10 1
Palm Oil 1.0 - - 1 45 4 40 10 -
Palm Kernel Oil 0.2 4 48 16 8 3 15 2 -
Peanut Oil 4.0 - - - 11 2 48 32 -
Safflower Oil 10.1 - - - 7 2 13 78 -
Sesame Oil 6.6 - - - 9 4 41 45 -
Soybean Oil 5.7 - - - 11 4 24 54 7
Sunflower Oil 7.3 - - - 7 5 19 68 1
Walnut Oil 5.3 - - - 11 5 28 51 5
Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding and other constituents not listed.
Fatty acid compositions depend on the sources of the oils. Canola oil is made from selectively bred rapeseed plants that contain less than 2% erucic acid. Some crops have produced canola oil with 76% oleic acid. Where percentages vary, average values are used. Not shown in this table: Coconut oil has 8% caprylic acid (C8:0). Cod liver oil has 7% palmitoleic acid (C16:1), 17% C20 unsaturated fatty acids (10% EPA), and 11% C22 unsaturated fatty acids (6% DHA). Peanut oil has approximately 5% of C22:0 and C24:0 fatty acids. Cow butterfat has 4% butyric (C4:0) and 2% caproic (C6:0) acids. Beef tallow, cow butterfat, human butterfat, and lard all have about 3% palmitoleic acid (C16:1). Human depot fat, usually found in the abdomen of men and around the thighs and hips of women, has a composition similar to lard.
What are the triglyceride profiles of these fats and oils? The percentages in the table above reflect the overall proportions of the fatty acid radicals in the triglycerides. If we had 33 representative triglyceride molecules containing 99 fatty acid radicals, the number of each fatty acid radical in these 33 molecules would be proportional to its percentage in the table. For example, 33 representative molecules of lard triglycerides would contain, on average, 26 radicals of palmitic acid (C16:0), 14 radicals of stearic acid (C18:0), 44 radicals of oleic acid (C18:1), and 10 radicals of linoleic acid (C18:2). These fatty acid radicals would be distributed randomly among the 33 triglyceride molecules. The typical lard triglyceride molecule would have one or two radicals of oleic acid and one radical of palmitic acid. Frequently, there would be triglycerides with one radical each of oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids. Only rarely would one encounter triglycerides with only palmitic and stearic acid radicals.
Triglyceride profile for lard.
Each square represents the fatty acid components of a representative triglyceride molecule.
C16:0
C18:0
C16:0 C18:1
C18:1
C18:1 C18:1
C16:0
C18:1 C18:1
C18:1
C18:1 C18:2
C18:1
C18:0 C18:1
C16:0
C18:1 C16:0
C16:0
C18:0 C18:0
C18:1
C18:1 C18:0
C16:0
C18:1 C16:1
C18:1
C16:0 C20:1
C18:1
C18:0
C18:1
C18:0
C18:2 C16:1
C16:0
C18:1 C18:2
C16:0
C18:2 C16:0
C16:0
C18:0 C18:2
C18:1
C16:0 C16:1
C16:0
C18:1 C18:1
C18:2
C18:2 C18:1
C14:0
C18:0 C18:1
C16:0
C18:1 C18:1
C16:0
C16:0 C18:2
C18:1
C14:0
C18:0
C18:0
C16:0 C18:2
C16:0
C18:1 C18:1
C18:2
C18:1 C18:1
C18:0
C16:0 C18:1
C18:1
C18:1 C18:1
C16:0
C18:1 C18:1
C18:1
C18:1 C16:0
C16:0
C18:1 C18:0
C18:0
C16:0 C18:1
C16:0
C16:0 C18:1
C18:1
C18:1
This profile was constructed using a random distribution of the appropriate percentages of the fatty acids in 33 representative triglyceride molecules. Red is used for saturated, green for monounsaturated, and blue for polyunsaturated fatty acids. Although the composition of the individual triglyceride molecules may vary, the relative proportion of fatty acids remains constant. The profiles for canola oil or olive oil would be mostly green and blue with very little red, whereas the profile for coconut oil would be mostly red.
(CONTINUED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------