Fat

Chemically, fats are triglycerides: triesters o glycerol an ony o several fatty acids. Fats mey be aither solit or liquid at ruim temperatur, dependin on thair structur an componeetion. Altho the wirds "iles", "fats", an "lipids" are aw uised tae refer tae fats, in reality, fat is a subset o lipid. "Iles" is uisually uised tae refer tae fats that are liquids at normal ruim temperatur, while "fats" is uisually uised tae refer tae fats that are solits at normal ruim temperatur. "Lipids" is uised tae refer tae baith liquid an solit fats, alang wi ither relatit substances, uisually in a medical or biochemical context. The wird "ile" is an aa uised for ony substance that daes nae mix wi watter an haes a greasy feel, sic as petroleum (or crude ile), heatin ile, an essential iles, regairdless o its chemical structur.

Fats furm a category o lipid, distinguished frae ither lipids bi thair chemical structur an pheesical properties. This category o molecules is important for mony furms o life, servin baith structural an metabolic functions. Thay are an important pairt o the diet o maist heterotrophs (includin humans). Fats or lipids are broken doun in the body bi enzymes cried lipases produced in the pancreas.

Examples o edible ainimal fats are laird, fish ile, butter/ghee an whaul blubber. Thay are obtained frae fats in the milk an meat, as well as frae unner the skin, o an ainimal. Examples o edible plant fats include peanut, soya bean, sunflouer, sesame, coconut an olive iles, an cocoa butter. Vegetable shortenin, uised mainly for bakin, an margarine, uised in bakin an as a spread, can be derived frae the abuin iles bi hydrogenation.

Thir ensaumples o fats can be categorized intae saturatit fats an unsaturatit fats. Unsaturatit fats can be further dividit intae cis fats, which are the maist common in naitur, an trans fats, which are rare in naitur but present in pairtially hydrogenatit vegetable iles.