Lipids

A lipid is an organic substance found in

living systems that is insoluble in water but
is soluble in organic solvents.

Lipids vary widely in their structures. They have

mostly C,H and some have a few polar atoms/
functional groups.
 Properties of Lipids
Lipids are a family of organic compounds, composed of fats and oils. These
molecules yield high energy and are responsible for different functions within the
human body. Listed below are some important characteristics of Lipids.

• Lipids are oily or greasy nonpolar molecules, stored in the adipose tissue of the
body.
• Lipids are a heterogeneous group of compounds, mainly composed of hydrocarbon
chains.
• Lipids are energy-rich organic molecules, which provide energy for different life
processes.
• Lipids are a class of compounds characterized by their solubility in nonpolar
solvents and insolubility in water.
• Lipids are significant in biological systems as they form a mechanical barrier
dividing a cell from the external environment known as the cell membrane.
 Types of Lipids

Within these two major classes of lipids, there are numerous specific types of lipids,
which are important to life, including fatty acids, triglycerides, glycerophospholipids,
sphingolipids and steroids. These are broadly classified as simple lipids and complex
lipids.

Simple Lipids
Esters of fatty acids with various alcohols.
1.Fats: Esters of fatty acids with glycerol. Oils are fats in the liquid state
2.Waxes: Esters of fatty acids with higher molecular weight monohydric alcohols
 Complex Lipids

1.Phospholipids: These are lipids containing, in addition to fatty acids

and alcohol, phosphate group. They frequently have nitrogen-containing
bases and other substituents, eg, in glycerophospholipids the alcohol is
glycerol and in sphingophospholipids the alcohol is sphingosine.

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.
Lipids include:
- Fats and oils
- Steroids
- Waxes
Fats & oils make up 95% of the nutritional lipids,
the other 5% are steroids. Waxes are functional
only.
Fats are solid triglycerides
Oils are liquid triglycerides
 Fats and Oils
The Triglycerides We Eat
CH2-O2C-R
HOCH2-CHOH-CH2OH CH-O C-R’ Fatty acid side
2
(glycerol) chains
CH2-O2C-R”

Triglycerides/fatty acids are characterized/named

by:
1) The length/number of carbons in the side chains
2) The number of carbon-carbon double bonds in
the side chains(the degree of unsaturation).
Fatty Acid Content of some Fats/Oils
Canola (Canadian-oil-low acid)
• Oil from Canadian rapeseed
• Has “ideal ratio” of omega-6 to omega-3
fatty acids of 2:1
• Also very low in saturated fat
 Olive oil
• Deemed to be the most “heart healthy”
• Highest % of monounsaturated fatty acids
• Extra virgin (1st press)
FATTY ACIDS (TRIGLYCERIDES)

Solid: longer chains

saturated(only C-C)
eg. animal fat, butter

Liquid: unsaturations (C=C)

eg. many vegetable oils
(olive, sunflower)
 Body fat is stored energy

The body converts the unused carbohydrates,

proteins and triglycerides that make up our
macronutrients into small globules of fat that
end up in the specialized cells of adipose
tissue, the fatty tissue of the body.

One pound of adipose tissue stores, and

provides when needed, ~3500 Cal of energy.
The high energy density of fat - its ability
to store energy (9 Cal/gram) compactly in
relatively little space and with relatively
little weight, compared with carbohydrates
and proteins (4 Cal/gram), allows us to
carry stores of energy with us.

It give humans and other animals the

mobility and freedom necessary for
survival
 Water in the Camel’s Hump
C54H108O6 + 78O2 54CO2 + 54H2O + zillion Cal
(triglyceride from C18H36O2 x 3 ie glycerol tristearate)
Metabolism requires oxygen, produces energy, carbon
dioxide and water
 Fat = Essential Energy

Most of our long term energy supplies operates

via the formation, storage and metabolism of
body fat (triglycerides).

Short term energy storage, from one meal to

another, occurs through a starch-like substance
called glycogen(a carbohydrate).
 Adipose Tissue / Fat
Adipose tissue forms cushioning shields around our
major organs, protecting them against damage from
physical shock and provides insulation to our
bodies, guarding against a rapid loss of body heat
to the external environment .
Fats carry the flavours and vitamins of many of
our foods although fats have no flavours of their
own, eg. carrying vitamins A, D, E and K from
our foods to our tissues.
Fatty acids form not only the triglycerides but other
compounds as well, including such vital classes as
prostaglandins and phospholipids.
Omega - 3 Fatty Acids - Especially in Fish Oils !
Mainly 20 & 22 C’s, polyunsaturated and
1st ‘ene’ is 3 from -end.
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): 20(5,8,11,14,17)
mp –50OC !
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): 22(5,8,11,14,17, 20)

 - alpha end
COOH

 - omega end

also -linolenic: 18(9,12,15)

 Why ‘Omega – 3’ FA ?

Low incidence of heart disease amongst

populations that eat lots of fat BUT mostly as fish !
eg. Inuit & Greenlanders

Sat Mono Poly(16 &18) -3(20 &22)

Cod 15 29 20 35
Herring 20 5 21
53

Don’t like fish? Try omega 3 eggs!

 Omega-3 eggs

• Chickens are fed flaxseed, which contains

high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. After 10
days, this modifies the fat content in the
egg yolk to contain more omega-3 fatty
acids and less saturated and omega-6’s
Omega-3 Chickens
 Omega-3 meats
• Present work (Guelph) on chickens,
turkeys, pigs to obtain meat with high
omega-3 fat content via diet alterations
• Coming soon to a supermarket near you!
 Other omega -3 enriched
products
• Orange juice
• Other fruit juices
 Cholesterol in gallstones
• Bile : used in fat digestion
• Contains water, cholesterol, bile salts , proteins
and bilirubin (waste product)
• If bile contains too much cholesterol, it can
harden into gallstones
• Extraction of cholesterol from gallstones
(removed by surgery) is a common lab
experiment!
• Size can range from grains of sand up to golf
ball!
 Source of bile acid
• Produced in liver
• Stored and concentrated in the gallbladder
• Secreted into small intestine
• If gallstone blocks exit duct, then
gallbladder may need to be removed
• Fat digestion becomes more difficult, but
not impossible
Gallstones
 Fat and Oil Content
Food Cholesterol Saturated Monounsaturated Polyunsaturated
Beef 91 2.7 2.7 0.5
Butter 219 50.5 23.4 3
Cheese ,cheddar 105 21.1 9.4 0.9
Cheese , cottage dry 7 0.3 0.1 0.02
Chicken (no skin) 85 1.3 1.5 1
Corn oil 0 12.7 24.2 58.7
Eggs , whole 548 3.4 4.5 1.4
Frankfurter (all beef) 51 12.7 14.8 1.2
Margarine,stick(coin oil ) 0 13.2 45.8 18
Milk , skim 2 0.1 0.05 0.007
Milk whole 14 2.3 1.1 0.1
Olive oil 0 13.5 73.7 8.4
Peanut butter 0 9.7 23.3 15.2
Peanut oil 0 16.9 46.2 32
Safflower oil 0 9.1 12.1 74.5
Salmon (pink , canned) 35 1 1.8 2.7
Tuna (canned in water ) 63 0.2 0.1 0.2
Turkey (no skin ) 69 1 0.6 0.9
Yogurt (plain , lowfat) 6 1 0.4 0.04
 Note
• No cholesterol in products derived from
plant sources!!