LIPIDS-introduction

 Lipids are a group of organic compounds that are insoluble in water but soluble
in organic solvents. Lipids contain Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen similar to
the elements found in carbohydrates.

 Lipids are fats and oils.

 Lipids are the form of stored energy in animals

 Have high energy value 9 kcal/gm of fat

 Act as carriers for fat soluble vitamins

 Are palatable giving good taste and satiety

FOOD SOURCE OF LIPIDS

 fats - Animal – Fish, butter, beef, pork, and lamb

 Plant – vegetable oils, fruit avocado, nuts, margarine, cooking
oils
 CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS

Types of lipids
There are many types of lipids which include the following:
 Fats (e.g., Animal fats, Cholesterol)

 Vegetable oils (e.g., Sunflower oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil)

 Waxes (e.g., Bees wax by honey bees, lanolin-a wool wax, rice brain wax,
carnauba wax)

 Phospholipids (e.g., glycerophospholipids, Sphingophospholipids)

 Glycolipids (or glycosphingolipids)

 CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont’

 Steroids (e.g., Hormones, Cholesterol

The above Lipids are classified into 3 on the basis of their chemical
structure

A. Simple lipids

 These are the esters formed from the reaction of fatty acids
(carboxylic acid) with various glycerols (alcohols) eg, Fats and oils
 CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont’
B.Complex Lipids

1. These are the esters of fatty acids containing other groups in addition to
alcohol and a fatty acid. Examples:Phospholipids: These are lipids containing,
in addition to fatty acids and alcohol, a phosphoric acid residue. They may also
have nitrogen-containing bases and other substituents, e.g., in
glycerophospholipids the alcohol is glycerol and in sphingophospholipids the
alcohol is sphingosine.
 
 CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont’

2. Glycolipids (glycosphingolipids): Lipids containing a fatty acid,

sphingosine and carbohydrate. 
3. Other complex lipids: Lipids such as sulfolipids and amino lipids.
Lipoproteins may also be placed in this category
C. Derived lipids: include the hydrolytic products of the simple and complex
lipids. Eg. Fatty acids, cholesterol, sterols etc. The simplest naturally occurring
lipids are triacylglycerols formed by esterification of fatty acids with glycerol.
Biological membranes are made up of phospholipids, glycolipids and
proteoglycans.
 CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont
 Human beings cannot synthesize the Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids
(PUFA), hence they are termed as essential FA. The essential fatty
acids are Linoleic acid.
 Linolenic acid and Arachidonic acid
 Linoleic acid occurs abundantly in vegetable oils such as: Corn oils,
Cottonseed oils, Soya beans oils, Sesame oils, Sunflower oils
CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont

 Formation of fats and Oils (Triglycerides or Triacylglycerols)

 Lipids are technically not polymers; they are either a combination of glycerol and fatty
acids or a Steroid in a condensation reaction. Fats and oils are therefore called
triglycerides (or triacylglycerols).

Structure of a glycerol
CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont
CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont

FATTY ACIDS

 Fatty acids are building block of most lipids, made of long chain organic acids having
one polar carboxyl group (head) and a non-polar hydrocarbon chain (tail).

 The latter makes them water insoluble.

 They are not found free in nature but found as esterified forms
 CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont

. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have got even number of

carbons.

 They may be saturated or unsaturated, with one or more double

bonds. Mostly the double bond occurs at the 9th carbon as we
count from the carboxyl group end
CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont

One example of a fatty acid

CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont
  The product of a reaction between fatty acids and glycerol is a triglyceride
(formerly called a triglycerol). Triglycerides are compounds of fats and oils.
Triacylglycerols is another name for triglycerides.
CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont
1. Saturated Triglycerides 
 Saturated triglycerides are those that do not contain double bonds between carbon atoms in
their hydrocarbon tails. Saturated fats are solids at room temperature. Fats are common in
animals.
2. Unsaturated Triglycerides

 Unsaturated triglycerides are those with one or more double bonds between carbon atoms
of the fatty acids. If fats have several double bonds they are called polyunsaturated fats.
Unsaturated fats have low melting points, so they are oils or soft fats at room temperature in
temperate climates.
 CLASSIFICATION OF LIPIDS cont
Sterols

 These are precursors of vitamin D, which are found both in plants and animals.
Cholesterol in animal’s tissues, egg yolk butter. Ergosterol in plants

Lipoprotein

 These are compound lipids that contain both protein and various types and
amounts of lipids. They are made mostly in the liver. Plant foods, regardless of
their fat content, do not contain cholesterol.
 FUNCTIONS

1. Essential fatty acids (EFA)

 They are needed for the normal functioning of all tissues
 They form a part of the structure of each cell membrane.
 They help transport nutrients and metabolites across the
cell membrane – Essential Fatty Acids are also involved
in brain development
 FUNCTIONS

 They are needed for the synthesis of prostagland.

 Phospholipids, sterols and lipoproteins Phospholipids

 They are structural compounds found in cell membranes.

 Theyare essential components of enzyme systems and are
involved in the transport of lipids in plasma
 FUNCTIONS cont’
2. lipoproteins
 Lipids are transported in the blood in the form of lipoprotein (soluble fat
protein complexes).
 They are 25-30% proteins and the remaining as lipids are used to transport
water-soluble lipids throughout the body and the types of lipoproteins are
VLDL, LDL, HDL, and Chylomicrons.

.
 FUNCTIONS cont’

3. cholesterol
 Cholesterol is a fatlike lipid that normally occurs in the blood and all
cell membranes.
 It is a major part of brain and nerve tissues.
 Cholesterol is necessary for normal body functioning as structural
material in the body cells, and in the production of bile, vitamin D and
a number of hormones including cortisone and sex hormone
 FUNCTIONS cont’
4. Linoleic acid
 Helps in body growth
 Helps in the building of nerve tissue
 In the formation and renewal of the skin and its annexes (hair, nails,etc)
 Synthesis of the prostaglandins
 Lowers blood cholesterol and heart attack risks
 GENERAL FUNCTIONS OF LIPIDS

1. They are efficient energy sources

 In respiration triglycerides release a lot of energy used to make ATP. 1
gram of
 triglycerides molecule can release more than twice of energy than same
mass of carbohydrates because fats are more reduced than carbohydrates.
 Fats are a source of energy in animals in long unfavourable seasons in
which they survive by using concentrated reserves of food fat store in
their bodies.
 GENERAL FUNCTIONS OF LIPIDS
2. Serve as thermal insulators.
 Fats act as an insulator because fats reserves
(deposits) have a restricted and very limited blood
supply to it, therefore the heat of the body in blood
vessels does not reach the subcutaneous fat and so
blood is not distributed to the fat under the skin and
this is how the fat acts as a heat insulation layer
 GENERAL FUNCTIONS OF LIPIDS cont’
3. They are structural components of the cell membrane.
4. Serve as precursors for hormones (steroid hormones)
5. They also dissolve the vitamins, which are fat-soluble and assist
their digestion
 Fats aid in the absorption of some essential vitamins within the
body of an organism

 Many fat-soluble vitamins need to be associated with fats in order to

be effectively absorbed by the body
 GENERAL FUNCTIONS OF LIPIDS cont’

6. As a source of water.

 Same mass of fat can produce a large amount of water than

carbohydrate of the same mass.

7. Lubricate the gastrointestinal tract

8. Protect the delicate organs such as Kidney, Eyes, heart and the
like. 
Dietary allowance of Lipids
 The WHO recommends the ingestion of 7
and 16 grams per day.
 Lower intake of lipids is recommended
CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH LIPIDS
 Hereditary, diet, exercise, and other conditions affect blood cholesterol levels.
Persons with high blood cholesterol levels appear to be more likely than those
with normal levels to develop atherosclerosis. Saturated fatty acids tend to
raise blood cholesterol level.

 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids lowers blood cholesterol and large amounts of

unsaturated Fatty Acids are of vegetable origin and have lower melting point
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) This is composed mainly of cholesterol. LDL.
Transports cholesterol from the liver to the tissues.
 CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH LIPIDS

 High serum level of LDL greatly increases the risk of atherosclerosis ” is

a disease in which fatty deposits collect along the inside walls of large or
medium - sized arteries.
 These deposits clog or narrow the passageway. If blood clots become
lodged in the narrowed vessels, the blood flow to the heart or brain many
be partially or completely blocked, resulting in a heart attack or stroke”.
 Diets that are high in saturated fatty acids are associated with elevation
in LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol is found only in animal products