Fatty Acid Basics

The basic structure of a triglyceride is three fatty acids on a glycerol backbone. The types of fatty acids that make up a triglyceride, their distribution and their structure—factors like chain length, saturated versus unsaturated, and conformation of the carbon chain (such as cis versus trans)  are key to fats’ and oils’ characteristics from melting point to nutritional effects. To learn more about fatty acids, download this free Infographic.