ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the chemistry of lipids pertinent to animal nutrition. Phospholipids are signaling molecules that regulate nutrient metabolism, whereas lipoproteins play an important role in the interorgan transport of triacylglycerols, cholesterol, and other lipids. In fact, the compounds are able to donate a hydrogen atom to the fatty acid radical formed during the propagation phase of lipid acid oxidation. In addition, the hydrogen atom of the carboxyl group in a fatty acid can be substituted by the halogen from a halogenated compound. The class of organic substances consists of fatty acids, as well as simple, compound, and derived lipids, with essential nutritional and physiological functions. Lipids undergo many reactions, such as the hydrolysis of TAGs, the saponification of fatty acids, esterification with alcohols, substitution of the hydroxyl hydrogen, hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids, peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly at high temperatures, and reaction with chlorine or bromine.
