389
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
A. Gani, B. A. Ashwar (eds.), Food biopolymers: Structural, functional
and nutraceutical properties, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27061-2_16
Lipids and Oils: An Overview
Sangamithra Asokapandian, S. Sreelakshmi,
and Gopirajah Rajamanickam
Introduction
The word lipid refers to diverse group of heterogeneous compounds occurring in
nature. Lipids are defined mainly on the basis of their solubility, not primarily their
chemical structure (Gurr et al. 2002). Lipids are relatively insoluble in aqueous
solution and highly soluble in non-polar solvents such as alcohol, acetone, ether,
chloroform. Chemically lipids are defined as esters of glycerol and fatty acids or as
the triglycerides of fatty acids.
As there is no standard definition for lipids, different authors have defined lipids.
Kates (1986) defined lipids as “those substances which are (a) insoluble in water;
(b) soluble in organic solvents such as chloroform, ether or benzene; (c) contain
long-chain hydrocarbon groups in their molecules; and (d) are present in or derived
from living organisms.”
As per Gurr et al. (2002), lipids are defined as “a chemically heterogeneous
group of substances, having in common the property of insolubility in water, but
solubility in nonpolar solvents such as chloroform, hydrocarbons or alcohols.”
Christie and Han (2010) termed lipids as “a wide variety of natural products
including fatty acids and their derivatives, steroids, terpenes, carotenoids, and bile
acids, which have in common a ready solubility in organic solvents such as diethyl
ether, hexane, benzene, chloroform, or methanol.”
S. Asokapandian (*)
Department of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
S. Sreelakshmi
Department of Food Processing Technology, PSG College of Arts and Science,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
G. Rajamanickam
Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
A. Gani, B. A. Ashwar (eds.), Food biopolymers: Structural, functional
and nutraceutical properties, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27061-2_16
Lipids and Oils: An Overview
Sangamithra Asokapandian, S. Sreelakshmi,
and Gopirajah Rajamanickam
Introduction
The word lipid refers to diverse group of heterogeneous compounds occurring in
nature. Lipids are defined mainly on the basis of their solubility, not primarily their
chemical structure (Gurr et al. 2002). Lipids are relatively insoluble in aqueous
solution and highly soluble in non-polar solvents such as alcohol, acetone, ether,
chloroform. Chemically lipids are defined as esters of glycerol and fatty acids or as
the triglycerides of fatty acids.
As there is no standard definition for lipids, different authors have defined lipids.
Kates (1986) defined lipids as “those substances which are (a) insoluble in water;
(b) soluble in organic solvents such as chloroform, ether or benzene; (c) contain
long-chain hydrocarbon groups in their molecules; and (d) are present in or derived
from living organisms.”
As per Gurr et al. (2002), lipids are defined as “a chemically heterogeneous
group of substances, having in common the property of insolubility in water, but
solubility in nonpolar solvents such as chloroform, hydrocarbons or alcohols.”
Christie and Han (2010) termed lipids as “a wide variety of natural products
including fatty acids and their derivatives, steroids, terpenes, carotenoids, and bile
acids, which have in common a ready solubility in organic solvents such as diethyl
ether, hexane, benzene, chloroform, or methanol.”
S. Asokapandian (*)
Department of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Erode, Tamil Nadu, India
S. Sreelakshmi
Department of Food Processing Technology, PSG College of Arts and Science,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
G. Rajamanickam
Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA