Benefits of Fatty Acids

*Biochemistry and Health Benefits of Fatty Acids*

omega fatty acids and sn-2 palmitic acid by enzymatic esterification and its incorporation in powdered infant formula. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2013;**61**(18):4455- 4463. DOI: 10.1021/jf400634w

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journal.pone.0171672

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**Chapter 5**

Acids

**Abstract**

brain functions

**1. Introduction**

Commercial and Therapeutic

Potential of Plant-Based Fatty

*Ana Paula de Souza e Silva, Wanessa Almeida da Costa,* 

*Priscila do Nascimento Bezerra, Flávia Cristina Seabra Pires,* 

*Eduardo Gama Ortiz Menezes, Glides Rafael Olivo Urbina,* 

This chapter reviews plant-based fatty acids as well as their methods of production, applications in the industry, and benefits in treatments of cardiovascular and cerebral diseases, besides being a source of food. The fatty acids obtained from vegetable matrices have been acting as alternatives to the use of lipids of animal origin, due to their limitation in relation to the increase in demand. Thus, plants have been investigated in order to act as sources of fatty acids and assist in the supply of such demands. Vegetable oils represent not only an economical alternative but also a

Lipid components, especially fatty acids, are present in the most diverse forms of life, playing important roles in the structure of cell membranes and metabolic processes. In humans, omega-series fatty acids are required to maintain cell membranes, brain functions, and the transmission of nerve impulses under normal conditions. These fatty acids also play a key role in the processes of transfer of atmospheric oxygen to blood plasma, hemoglobin synthesis, and cell division. They

Fatty acids are classified according to the presence of double bonds between the carbon chains. They are called saturated fatty acids (SFA) if there are no double bonds; monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) if there is one double bond; and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) if two or more double bonds are present. Regarding the size of the carbon chain, PUFAs have number of carbons ≥ 16 and are also called long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, whereas those with number of carbons ≥ 20 are referred

*Jhonatas Rodrigues Barbosa and Raul Nunes de Carvalho*

**Keywords:** fatty acids, plants, nutraceuticals, cardiovascular diseases,

are called essential because the human body does not synthesize them [1].

*Marielba de Los Angeles Rodriguez Salazar,* 

*Maria Caroline Rodrigues Ferreira,* 

beneficial source of human health.
