Unsaturated Fatty Acids

Unsaturated fatty acids do have one or more double bonds in their alkenic chain. In some extremely rare cases, unsaturated fatty acids contain even a triple bond. Basically double bond containing fatty acids can be classified into monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Naturally PUFA are rather found in long chain and very long chain fatty acyl species. A further system of classification for unsaturated fatty acids is according to the position of the first double bond starting from the ω-end (last carbon) of the fatty acid. Hereby unsaturated fatty acids can be categorized into ω-3, ω-6, ω-7, and ω-9 fatty acids. Additionally unsaturated fatty acids may be classified by the geometry of their double bonds as cis- or trans-fatty acids. In case of a cis geometry, both hydrogens of the CH=CH system are on the same side of the double bond, and in case of transgeometry both hydrogens are on opposing sides of the double bond. Most polyunsaturated fatty...