What are the components of edible fats?

Edible fats are complex mixture of triglycerides and small amounts of other substances. Triglycerides are esters of glycerol and three fatty acid molecules. Fatty acids may contain different numbers of carbon atoms and may have different degrees and unsaturation and branching. Triglycerides are also called triacylglycerols.

Edible fats occur naturally or are derived through processing and storage of fats.

The natural fats are naturally made up mostly of mixed triglycerides with only trace amounts of mono- and diglycerides and little or no free fatty acids.  The exact composition of natural fats can’t be pinpointed, because they are dependent on factors such as growing conditions, plant/animal breeding, and processing.

In contrast, processed fats may contain up to 20% of mono- and diglycerides.  Successful production of processed fats products relies on the manipulation of the fat blend to produce suitable physical properties and prevent undesirable changes during and after processing.

The other substances associated with natural fats include the flowing:
*Phospholipids
*Sterols
*Fat-soluble vitamins
*Pigments
*Hydrocarbon
*Oxidation products
*Trace Minerals
*Water
What are the components of edible fats?

What are triglycerides?

The major components of fats and oils are triglycerides, which are formed by etherification of glycerol (a trihydroxy alcohol) and fatty acids.

Triglycerides are the most energy-rich nutrients; they provide nine calories per gram, more than twice the amount in protein and carbohydrate. The triglycerides make up the majority (95%) of lipids in food. The structure of these molecules, with its high number of carbon-carbon bonds, makes them an excellent source of energy for aerobic respiration.

Naturally occurring fats are always mixtures of different triglycerides. Triglycerides are classified as lipids, because they are insoluble in water.

In some triglycerides, all three fatty acids are the same. These are known as simple triglycerides; tributyrin, which contains three molecules of butyric acids, is an example.

Other triglycerides contain two different fatty acids and some contain three different fatty acids. These are known as mixed glycerides.

Triglycerides are digested in the intestine by lipases, enzymes that’s specifically degrade fat. Triglycerides digestion and absorption requires bile to free fatty acids and monoglycerides.

The liver also produces and secretes triglycerides, and packages them into lipoproteins. Chylomicrons are synthesized in the intestine, and VLDLs are synthesized in the liver.

Triglycerides are measured in alb test of serum lipids. High levels of blood triglycerides increase the likelihood of blood clots and may indirectly contribute to process leading to clogged arteries.
What are triglycerides?

Crude Fat

Crude fat is the term used to refer to the crude mixture of fat-soluble material present in a sample. Crude fat also known as the ether extract or the free lipid content, is the traditional measure of fat in food products. 

The lipid materials may include triglycerides, diglycerides, monoglycerides, phospholipids, steroids, free fatty acids, fat soluble vitamins, carotene pigments, chlorophylls, etc.

The common approach for total crude fat determination is based on the solubility of lipids in non-polar organic solvents such as hexanes, petroleum ether, or supercritical liquid carbon dioxide with or without a solvent modifier.

The two methods most commonly used to determine crude fat are wet extraction and dry extraction. Wet extraction is performed with the water remaining in the sample.

The Babcock method and the Mojonnier method both are wet extraction methods used for crude fat determinations in milk and milk products. These methods have also been applied to other products such as raw, canned, and frozen fish.

The Babcock method is one which releases the fat from the milk emulsion and measures the percentage directly in bottles calibrated for this.

The Babcock method does not determine the phospholipids in the milk products. It is not applicable to products containing chocolate or added sugar without modification of charring of chocolate and sugars by sulfuric acid.

A common dry extraction method is Soxhlet extraction method is performed with anhydrous ether. It is common crude fat determination method in many food. This technique extracts the crude fat into ether which is finally evaporated. Dry extraction is preferred when it is inconvenient to remove most of the water from a food. After extraction the solvent is evaporated, the residue weighed and reported as percent crude fat. 

Three factors that affect crude fat analysis are moisture content, sample preparation, and extraction methodologies.
Crude Fat