ingredient information
Triglycerides Mixed
Any of an important class of naturally occurring lipids, esters in which three molecules of fatty acids are linked to glycerol. The three fatty acids may be all the same kind or different kinds. The types of triglycerides in animals vary with the species and the fats in their food. In mammals they are stored in adipose tissue until needed and then broken down to the glycerol and fatty acids. Many vegetable triglycerides (oils) are liquid at room temperature, unlike those of animals, and tend to contain a greater variety of fatty acids. In alkali, triglycerides break down to form glycerol and three molecules of soap (saponification). Natural fatty acids found in plants and animals are typically composed only of even numbers of carbon atoms, due to the way they are bio-synthesised from acetyl CoA. Bacteria, however, possess the ability to synthesise odd- and branched-chain fatty acids. Consequently, ruminant animal fat contains significant proportions of branched-chain fatty acids, due to the action of bacteria in the rumen. Most natural fats contain a complex mixture of individual triglycerides; because of this, they melt over a broad range of temperatures. Cocoa butter is unusual in that it is composed of only a few triglycerides, one of which contains palmitic, oleic and stearic acids in that order. This gives rise to a fairly sharp melting point, causing chocolate to melt in the mouth without feeling greasy. Triglycerides play an important role in metabolism as energy sources. They contain more than twice as much energy (9 kcal/g) as carbohydrates and proteins. In the intestine, triglycerides are split into glycerol and fatty acids (this process is called lipolysis) (with the help of lipases and bile secretions), which can then move into blood vessels. The triglycerides are rebuilt in the blood from their fragments and become constituents of lipoproteins, which deliver the fatty acids to and from fat cells among other functions. Various tissues can release the free fatty acids and take them up as a source of energy. Fat cells can synthesize and store triglycerides. When the body requires fatty acids as an energy source, the hormone glucagon signals the breakdown of the triglycerides by hormone-sensitive lipase to release free fatty acids. As the brain can not utilize fatty acids as an energy source, the glycerol component of triglycerides can be converted into glucose for brain fuel when it is broken down. Fat cells may also be broken down for that reason, if the brain's needs ever outweigh the body's.