Tag: Long chain fatty acid

Essential fatty acids like omega-6 cannot be produced by the human body and must be acquired from the diet. The most common omega-6, linoleic acid, is definitively a long-chain fatty acid, playing crucial roles in health, from providing energy to forming structural components of cell membranes.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the common name for the saturated fatty acid C22:0 is behenic acid, while its systematic name is docosanoic acid. This long-chain fatty acid has a variety of applications in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

Castor oil is a vegetable oil with unique physical and chemical properties due to its main component, ricinoleic acid. Ricinoleic acid, which makes up to 90% of the oil, is a monounsaturated, 18-carbon fatty acid, placing it firmly in the category of long-chain fatty acids.

According to Creative Proteomics, long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) are characterized by having 14 to 24 carbon atoms in their chain. A prominent and readily identifiable example of a long chain fatty acid is oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat abundant in olive oil and nuts.