Fats are biological, organic molecules that cannot be dissolved in water solutions. There are different types of fats such as fatty acids, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins, ketone bodies, triglycerides and other specific types of fats. Being one of the three main macronutrients that comprise our food, fats have a couple of important body functions such as:
- they provide building, structural component of all biological membranes;
- they provide energy for the cell (obtained in a process of beta oxidation) or they can provide reserved energy stored in the adipocyte tissue;
- they serve as bioactive molecules with wide range of functions (such as synthesis of hormones, signalization, anti-inflammatory reactions, etc.);
- lipophilic bile acids play a main role in emulsification, digestion and absorption of dietary lipids ingested with the food.
Fatty acids are the basic structural and functional components that make all more complex fats in the nature and the human body. They buildup the more complex membrane lipids and are used as precursors for the synthesis of different kinds of bioactive molecules. Fatty acids are molecules that are made of long chains of connected carbon (C) atoms that create the so cold carbon chain or spine or axe, and tied hydrogen (H) atoms that have a carboxyl group (COOH) on one end and a methyl group (CH3 on the other. At physiological pH the carboxyl group is ionized and carries a negative charge of the fatty acid in the bodily fluids.
Fatty acids that do not contain a double bond between the carbon atoms, i.e. the fatty acids that have hydrogen atoms attached to all of their side places of the carbon spine and called saturated fatty acids, while those that have one or more double bonds of the carbon atoms are called unsaturated fatty acids. Fatty acids containing only a single double bond are called mono unsaturated fatty acids, yet those with two or more double bonds are called poly unsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acids that have one or more separated double bonds are called conjugated fatty acids.
(Слика заситени и незаситени масни киселини)
(Слика заситени и незаситени масни киселини)
There is a general rule that fats that originate from plant sources, derived from seeds, nuts and other fat producing agriculture products, contain much greater percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in their content which makes them liquid on a room temperature. On the other hand, the fats that have animal origin are predominately made of saturated fatty acids - hence have a solid structure at room temperature. However, coconut and palm oil have a high content of saturated fatty acids and are solid at room temperature as well.
When the hydrogen atoms at the double carbon bond are located on the same side of the double bond, this constitutes a cis conformation, such as the molecular structure of the oleic acid (18:1), while having hydrogen atoms on both sides of the double carbon bond constitutes for a trans conformation, such as the structure of the elaidic acid.
(Слика цис и транс масти)
Almost all unsaturated fatty acids found in their natural state have cisconformations, yet the fatty acids which are processed (heated and hydrogenated at temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius) become denaturized and for trans conformations. Those fats are called trans fats. Both present science and medicine have confirmed the damaging, pro-inflammatory effect of trans fats on the human organism. The intake of trans fats, by consumption of refined processed plant oils, chips and other confectionary products, is one of the primary cause for deteriorated cardiovascular health.
It is important to highlight that the seed oils are not comprised of only one type of fatty acid. They are a mixture of many different fatty acids, mainly a combination of mono unsaturated and poly unsaturated fatty acids, both necessary for proper function of the human organism. For instance, the oleic acid which makes the extra virgin olive oil recognized and carries out a large number of health properties, is also contained in significant amount in the cold pressed sunflower as well as other cold pressed seed oils. Unlike the refined oils, cold pressed oils are obtained in the process of cold mechanical extraction that does not exceeds a temperature above 45 degrees Celsius, which preserves the fatty acids in their natural bioactive form that our bodies can use in various metabolic processes.