Human Nutrition 3(3+0)

Lesson 14 : Lipids

Introduction

Lipids are a group of naturally occurring substances characterized by their insolubility in water, greasy feel and solubility in some organic solvents. They occur widely in the plant and animal kingdom, in the form of oils and fats respectively. The basic structure of lipids is comprised of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (sometimes nitrogen and phosphorous are also present).

The lipid fat content of food is the major determinant of the energy density of diets. Each gram of fat provides 9.0kcal of energy.