GLOSSARY

Fatty Acid Classification Table

Fatty-acid nomenclature separates chain length, double-bond count and omega position.

Fatty Acid is a molecule with a carboxyl group and carbon chain; length, bonds and linkage determine its identity and molecular context.

In fatty-acid notation, the number before the colon usually gives carbon count and the next number gives double-bond count. An omega family or bond position may follow. This is not an intake weight or recommended dose. Distinguishing some isomers also requires specifying bond positions and spatial geometry beyond the basic code.

Saturation concerns carbon–carbon double bonds in a fatty-acid chain, not fullness after eating or a food's energy content. One double bond defines monounsaturation; multiple bonds define polyunsaturation. Their positions and cis or trans geometry also matter, so counting bonds alone cannot explain every physical property or biological effect.

For example, oleic acid can be glycerol-linked in oil; naming a fatty acid does not necessarily imply a free form in food.