Omega-9 fatty acid
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n−9 fatty acids (popularly referred to as ω−9 fatty acids or omega-9 fatty acids) are a family of unsaturated fatty acids which have in common a carbon–carbon double bond in the n−9 position; that is, the ninth bond from the end of the fatty acid.
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[edit] Background
Some n−9s are common components of animal fat and vegetable oil. Two n−9 fatty acids important in industry are:
- Oleic acid (18:1, n−9), which is a main component of olive oil and other monounsaturated fats
- Erucic acid (22:1, n−9), which is found in rapeseed, wallflower seed, and mustard seed. Rapeseed with high erucic acid content is grown for commercial use in paintings and coatings as a drying oil.
Unlike n−3 and n−6 fatty acids, n−9 fatty acids are not classed as essential fatty acids (EFA). This is both because they can be created by the human body from unsaturated fat, and are therefore not essential in the diet, and because the lack of an n−6 double bond keeps them from participating in the reactions that form the eicosanoids.
Under severe conditions of EFA deprivation, mammals will elongate and desaturate oleic acid to make mead acid, (20:3, n−9).[1] This also occurs to a lesser extent in vegetarians and semi-vegetarians.[2]
[edit] List of n−9 fatty acids
| Common name | Lipid name | Chemical name |
|---|---|---|
| oleic acid | 18:1 (n−9) | 9-octadecenoic acid |
| eicosenoic acid | 20:1 (n−9) | 11-eicosenoic acid |
| mead acid | 20:3 (n−9) | 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid |
| erucic acid | 22:1 (n−9) | 13-docosenoic acid |
| nervonic acid | 24:1 (n−9) | 15-tetracosenoic acid |
[edit] See also
- Polyunsaturated fatty acid, lists of fatty acids including n−3, n−6, and n−9 fatty acids
- n−3 fatty acid
- n−6 fatty acid
[edit] References
- ^ Lipomics. Mead acid. Retrieved on February 14, 2006.
- ^ Phinney, SD, RS Odin, SB Johnson and RT Holman (1990). Reduced arachidonate in serum phospholipids and cholesteryl esters associated with vegetarian diets in humans. Retrieved on February 11, 2006.
[edit] Additional references
- Cyberlipid Center. Polyenoic fatty acids. Retrieved on February 11, 2006.
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