Glossary of Terms
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Biohydrogenation - Process occurring in rumen fermentation. Bacteria add hydrogen to the double bonds of unsaturated fatty acids resulting in the production of a saturated fatty acid.
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Essential fatty acid - Fatty acids that are required in the human diet. The are "essential" because they cannot be synthesized in adequate amounts by the body and therefore must be provided in the diet.
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Fatty acid - A carboxylic acid (or organic acid), composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Fatty acids are hydrocarbon chains and are either saturated or unsaturated. Most natural fatty acids have an even number of carbon atoms, because they are synthesized from acetate which has two carbon atoms.
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Functional food - Any food or food ingredient that may provide a health benefit beyond that associated with the traditional nutrients it contains.
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Phospholipid - A lipid that is a primary component of cell membranes. Consists of a water-soluble polar head, linked to two water-insoluble non-polar tails by a negatively charged phosphate group. Both tails consist of a fatty acid, each 14-24 carbon groups long.
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Rumen - The large first stomach in ruminant animals such as cows, sheep, and goats. The rumen fluid volume of cows is 40 to 50 Liters contains over a billion bacteria and a million protozoa. These bacteria and protozoa ferment the feeds consumed by ruminants including hydrolysis and biohydrogenation of dietary fats.
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Saturated fatty acid - A molecule where all carbons present in the hydrocarbon chain are connected by single bonds. This type of fatty acid is most stable.
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Trans fatty acid - An unsaturated fatty acid molecule in which the double bond has a "trans" orientation. According to the FDA conjugated linoleic acid isomers are excluded from the definition of trans fatty acids.
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Triglyceride - A molecule consisting of a glycerol backbone to which three fatty acid chains are attached by ester linkages.
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Unsaturated fatty acid - A fatty acid that contains one or more double bonds. In nature most of the double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids have a "cis" orientation.