Essentials of Nutrition for Sports

When all the carbons in a fatty acid hold on to other carbons
with just one arm, using their other arms to hold onto hydrogens, fatty acids are termed saturated. These exist as straight chains.

Saturated fatty acids are the least reactive chemically. The melting point of saturated fatty acids increases with chain

length. Decanoic and longer chain fatty acids are solids at normal room temperatures.

The most common saturated fatty acid in nature is palmitic acid,

a 16-carbon fatty acid.

Saturated fatty acids, common name, carbon chain length,

melting point, and typical source are listed in

Table 10

.

Systematic Name

Common Name

Carbon Atoms

Melting Point ° C

Typical Fat Source

Butanoic

Butyric

4

-7.9

Butterfat

Hexanoic

Caproic

6

-3.4

Butterfat

Octanoic

Caprylic

8

16.7

Coconut

oil

Decanoic

Capric

10

31.6

Coconut

oil

Dodecanoic

Lauric

12

44.2

Coconut oil

Tetradecanoic

Myristic

14

54.4

Butterfat, coconut oil

Hexadecanoic

Palmitic

16

62.9

Most fats and oils

Octadecanoic

Stearic

18

69.6

Most fats and oils

Eicosanoic

Arachidic

20

75.4

Peanut oil

Docosanoic

Behenic

22

80.0

Peanut oil

Table 10. Saturated fatty acids.

Unsaturated Fatty Acids

When carbon atoms hold on to each other extra tightly with two

arms, rather than to hydrogen atoms, fats are unsaturated.

When two hydrogen atoms are removed from the chain, a

carbon-to-carbon double bond or point of unsaturation is created and the molecule bends.

Fatty acids containing one or more carbon-to-carbon double

bonds are unsaturated.

Systematic Name

Common Name

Double Bonds

Carbon Atoms

Typical Fat Source

9-Decenoic

Caproleic

1

10

Butterfat

9-Dodecenoic

Lauroleic

1

12

Butterfat

9-Tetradecenoic

Myristoleic

1

14

Butterfat

9-Hexadecenoic

Palmitoleic

1

16

Fish oils, beef fat

9-Octadecenoic

Oleic

1

18

Fats and oils

9-Octadecenoic

Elaidic

1

18

Hydrogenated oils

11-Octadecenoic

Vaccenic

1

18

Butterfat

9,12-Octadecadienoic

Linolei

c

2

18

Vegetable oils

9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic

Linolenic

3

18

Soybean oil, canola oil

9-Eicosaenoic

Gadoleic

1

20

Fish oils

5,8,11,14-Eicosatetraenoic

Arachidonic

4

20

Lard

5,8,11,14,17-Eicosapentaenoic

• 
  

5

20

Fish

oils

13-Docosenoic

Erucic

1

22

Canola oil

4,7,10,13,16, 19-Docosahexaenoic

6

22

Fish

oils

Table 11. Unsaturated fatty acids in food fats and oils. In many sources, saturated fats are also present.

If a fatty acid contains one double bond, it is monounsaturated. If

it contains more than one double bond, it is polyunsaturated.

Unsaturated fatty acids are more reactive chemically than are

saturated fatty acids. This reactivity increases as the number of double bonds increases.

In general, the more saturated the fat, the more likely it is to be

solid at room temperature—and the more dangerous it is for health.

Nutrition for Sports, Essentials of 75