*2.2.2 Fatty acid synthesis*

Acetyl-CoA is used as a starting material for fatty acid synthesis. Glucose produced by photosynthesis is first converted to pyruvic acid and then to acetyl-CoA. Saturated fatty acids such as palmitate, stearate and oleate are produced from acetyl-CoA by acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase (FAS) in the chloroplast of plants. The elongation of fatty acids to longer-chain fatty acids is catalyzed by elongases, and fatty acid desaturases (FAD) produce unsaturated fatty acids by inserting double bonds (desaturation) between carbon atoms (**Figure 3**) [40].
