glyceride n : an ester of glycerol and fatty acids that occurs naturally as fats and fatty oils; "fresh fats contain glycerides of fatty acids and very little free acid" [syn: acylglycerol]

English

Noun

1. An ester of glycerol and one or more fatty acid; they are the major constituents of lipids.

Derived terms

• monoglyceride
• diglyceride
• triglyceride

Translations

See also

• glycerolipid
• phospholipid

Glycerides, more correctly known as acylglycerols, are esters formed from glycerol and fatty acids.

Glycerol has three hydroxyl functional groups, which can be esterified with one, two, or three fatty acids to form monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triglycerides.

Vegetable oils and animal fats contain mostly triglycerides, but are broken down by natural enzymes (lipases) into mono- and diglycerides and free fatty acids.

Soaps are formed from the reaction of glycerides with sodium hydroxide. Glycerol is a product that can soften dehydrated skin by absorbing moisture from the air. If pure glycerol were left exposed to normal air, in 10 to 12 hours it would become 80% glycerol and 20% water by absorbing 1/5 of its weight in water.

Partial glycerides are esters of glycerol with fatty acids, whereby only a part of the existing hydroxyl groups are esterified. Some hydroxyl groups within the glycerol ester are free contributing to the polaric properties of the material. Short chain partial glycerides are more polaric and have excellent solvent properties for many hard-to-solubilize drugs.

References