Vegetable oils triacylglyceride structure

Lipids typically have large hydrocarbons as part of their structure and are insoluble in water. Animal fats and vegetable oils are complex lipids called triacylglycerides. These molecules contain three ester groups. 

FIG U RE 15.1 Natural triacylglyceride structure of vegetable oils. The double bonds of each chain vary, with an average of 4.2 double bonds contained in soybean oil. 

Most naturally occurring vegetable oils contain a triacylglyceride structure, as shown in fig. 15.1. This structure [5, 59] has been described as a tuning fork and is a good lubricant, even without any chemical modification [22, 28]. Additionally, the fatty acid chains on the oil itself can become an oleochemical thickener. During manufacture, the appropriate metal cation and a base are added to the mixture, and glycerol is removed, as shown in fig. 15.3. 

---