Composition of Triglycerides

The composition of triglycerides varies from plant to plant, and also varies depending on where the plant was grown, what the conditions were during growth and so on. There has been a significant body of work looking at different oil sources and this is summarized in Table 6.1. 

As a result of this natural variation, it has become very important to choose a plant oil carefully for the specific application in mind. Saturated fatty acids and triglycerides will perform well in some applications whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids allow for more chemistry and functionalization to take place, allowing for greater adaptability (see sections 6.5 and 6.6). 

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Table VI. Relative percent composition of triglycerides of M. oleifera seed oil extracted with light petroleum ether or by enzymatic extraction...

These lipoproteins vary in size, density, relative composition of triglycerides, phospholipids, cholesterol, cholesterol ester, and proteins. In addition, each of these classes of lipoproteins may contain different apoproteins. These specific apoproteins are important for transformations within the lipid particle, and are signals for cellular receptors allowing uptake and/or endocytosis. 

Table 6.1 Selected fatty acid composition of triglycerides from plant oils.

Table 12.3 Main fatty acid composition of triglycerides used in fat emulsion formulation.

Bloch, R. (1974). Intestinal absorption of medimn-chain fatty acids. J. Nutr. Sci.,13,42-49. Bonanome, A., Bennet, M. Grundy, S. M. (1992). Metabolic effects of dietary stearic acid in mice changes in the fatty aeid composition of triglycerides and phospholipids in various tissues. Atherosclerosis., 94, 119-127. 

Table 2.2 Composition of triglycerides and chemical structures of fatty acids.

In another study, the solubility of grape seed oil showed a decrease during CO2 extraction at 40 °C and 290 bar. This may be related to the high concentration of free fatty acids, especially mono- and diglycerids of fatty acids solubibty is directly related to the composition of triglycerides, which in turn depends on the type of fatty attached to the glycerol molecule (Sovova, et al., 2001 Hassan et al., 2000). 

Ideally, two moles of polyol react with one mole of triglyceride to form three moles of monoester. In reaUty, the reaction reaches an equiUbrium, whereby some amount of di- and tri-esters and neat polyol, including glycerol and the added polyol, coexist in the reaction mixture. The compositions of the alcoholysis products at equiUbrium from soya oil and glycerol (1 2 mole ratio), and soya oil and monopentaerythritol have been reported (33) as follows ... 

Lipids. Representative fatty acid compositions of the unprocessed triglyceride oils found in the four oilseeds are given in Table 4 (see Fats and FATTY oils). Cottonseed, peanut, and sundower oils are classified as oleic—linoleic acid oils because of the high (>50%) content of these fatty acids. Although the oleic and linoleic acid content of soybean oils is high, it is distinguished from the others by a content of 4—10% of linolenic acid, and hence is called a linolenic acid oil. 

An experiment describing the analysis of the triglyceride composition of several vegetable oils is described in the May 1988 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education (pp. 464-466). 

Table 9.8 Triglyceride composition of palm oil and cocoa butter.

Disorders of lipoprotein metabolism involve perturbations which cause elevation of triglycerides and/or cholesterol, reduction of HDL-C, or alteration of properties of lipoproteins, such as their size or composition. These perturbations can be genetic (primary) or occur as a result of other diseases, conditions, or drugs (secondary). Some of the most important secondary disorders include hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, renal disease, and alcohol use. Hypothyroidism causes elevated LDL-C levels due primarily to downregulation of the LDL receptor. Insulin-resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus result in impaired capacity to catabolize chylomicrons and VLDL, as well as excess hepatic triglyceride and VLDL production. Chronic kidney disease, including but not limited to end-stage... 

The lipid in muscle is composed primarily of triglycerides (depot fats) and of phospholipids (membrane components), and is a constituent which varies enormously not only in amount present, but also in properties such as degree of saturation (species dependent). The ash of lean meat is comprised of various minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc Carbohydrate was not noted in the proximate composition because while some may be present, it is normally there in low concentration compared to the other constituents. Glycogen is the carbohydrate occurring in greatest concentration in muscle but is normally degraded soon after the animal is sacrificed. 

Fats and oils, constituted by acylglycerolipids, represent a major subgroup of lipids. They are the most common class of medium-size molecules produced by living organisms. They are the main constituents of the storage fat cells in plants and animals. They have quite a similar chemical composition, as they are mainly composed of triglycerides, triesters of glycerol with fatty acids (FAs). 

All liposphere formulations prepared remained stable during the 3-month period of the study, and no phase separation or appearance of aggregates were observed. The difference between polymeric lipospheres and the standard liposphere formulations is the composition of the internal core of the particles. Standard lipospheres, such as those previously described, consist of a solid hydrophobic fat core composed of neutral fats like tristearin, whereas, in the polymeric lipospheres, biodegradable polymers such as polylactide or polycaprolactone were substituted for the triglycerides. Both types of lipospheres are thought to be stabilized by one layer of phospholipid molecules embedded in their surface. 

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