Fats
are a subgroup of lipids composed of carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen. Fat-molecules are composed of a so-called glycerol-backbone with
three fatty acids attached by forming ester-bonds. All fats in food are
made up of these so-called trigclycerides.
Fats can be of plant-origin, found in seeds, or of animal-origin. Fat has a caloric value of 9 kcal/g.
The different lipids occurring in the food sector have different functions, like:
providing texture and mouthfeel
carrier of flavoures
hydrophobe nature
emulsificationand aeration of mixtures (e.g. mayonnaise or whipped cream)
