Test for Fats: Definition, Types, Experiment

In this article, we have covered various topics for ‘Types of Fats’. You can learn about types of fats and types of fat tests discussed in the following article. Before knowing about the advanced topics on fats, you have to understand some basic thing about it.

Fats are an essential part of our healthy diet. It adds taste and texture to our food. Fat has a significant source of energy for us. They are critical components of cells and tissues and they also absorb essential vitamins and can be converted into other molecules like prostaglandins which help cells communicate with one another. Glycerol, a three-carbon backbone, as well as fatty acid chains, make up fats. The fatty acid chain is essentially a series of carbon and hydrogen atoms strung together.

Keyterms: Fat, Energy, Glycerol, Prostaglandin, Carbon, Fatty acid chain, Hydrogen, Carbon, Atom, Vitamins, almonds, Molecules

Read Also: Metabolites

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Types of Fats

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There are three types of fats:

Saturated fats

Saturated fat is a form of fat that contains a large proportion of fatty acid molecules without double bonds and is therefore regarded as less healthful in the diet than unsaturated fat.

Saturated fats contain only single bonds between carbon molecules and are saturated with hydrogen molecules. Even healthful foods like chicken and almonds include small quantities of saturated fat, compared to beef, cheese, and ice cream, which contain significantly more.

Saturated fats are mostly found in animal diets, but a few plant foods, such as coconut, coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil, are also high in saturated fats. Below listed are the types of saturated fats:

• Stearic acid has 18 carbon atoms.
• Palmitic acid has 16 carbon atoms.
• Myristic acid has 14 carbon atoms.
• Lauric acid has 12 carbon atoms.
• Capric acid has ten carbon atoms.
• Caprylic acid has 8 carbon atoms.
• Caproic acid has 6 carbon atoms.

Trans fats

Trans fatty acids, often known as trans fats, are created by heating liquid vegetable oils with hydrogen gas and a catalyst, a process known as hydrogenation.

Vegetable oils that have been partially hydrogenated become more stable and less likely to go rancid. This process turns the oil into a solid, allowing it to be used as margarine or shortening. Partially hydrogenated oils are great for frying quick foods because they can survive repeated heating without breaking down. Trans fats are the worst kind of fat for your heart, blood vessels, and overall health since they:

• Raise bad LDL and lower good HDL to cause inflammation, an immune response that has been linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
• Insulin resistance is a result of this.
• Even modest amounts of trans fat can be damaging to one's health; for every additional 2% of calories taken daily from trans fat, the risk of coronary heart disease rises by 23%.

Unsaturated fats 

Unsaturated fats are dispersed throughout the body. Unsaturated fats have at least one double bond between carbon molecules.They are normally liquid at ambient temperature. Unsaturated fats are divided into two parts:

1. Monounsaturated fats: Monounsaturated fats are made up of fat molecules having one unsaturated double carbon bond.Monounsaturated fat is a type of fat found in foods. Along with polyunsaturated fat, it is one of the good fats. At normal temperature, monounsaturated fats are liquid, but when cold, they begin to solidify. Monounsaturated fats are beneficial to your health in a variety of ways:

They can aid in the reduction of LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a waxy, sticky substance that can clog or restrict blood vessels (blood vessels).Maintaining a healthy LDL level lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Monounsaturated fats aid in cell development and maintenance.

2. Polyunsaturated fats: Polyunsaturated fats are simply fat molecules that contain more than one unsaturated carbon link, also known as a double bond. Polyunsaturated fats are used to construct cell membranes and nerve coverings. They are required for blood clotting, muscle contraction, and inflammation.

The carbon chain of polyunsaturated fat contains two or more double bonds. Polyunsaturated fat can be found in a variety of plant and animal foods, including salmon, vegetable oils, and certain nuts and seeds. Polyunsaturated fats are classified into two types: 1) Omega-3 fatty acids and 2) Omega-6 fatty acids.

1. Omega 3 fatty acids: The three most important types of omega 3 fatty acids are ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) (eicosapentaenoic acid).

ALA is found primarily in plants, whereas DHA and EPA are found primarily in animal foods and algae. Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly heart-healthy fats that can aid in the reduction of elevated blood triglyceride levels.

Fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and rainbow trout contain omega-3 fats. Tofu and other soybean products contain omega-3 fats.

2. Omega-6 fatty acids: Omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats that can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. Linoleic and linolenic acids are generated from diets containing omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which have different physiological effects.

Some of these fatty acids appear to be inflammatory, while others appear to be anti-inflammatory. More research is needed to fully understand how these seemingly contradictory effects interact with one another and with other nutrients.

There are good fats and bad fats. For example Olive oil has 100% of fat and a pancake mixture has just 10% of fat. Still, olive oil is considered healthy and pancake mixture is not healthy because olive oil is unsaturated and contains no trans-fat, whereas pancake mix contains either saturated or trans-fat. As a result, olive oil is far healthier than pancake batter.

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Types of Fats Tests

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There are different types of fat tests which are as follows:

Acrolein test

Acrolein test is used to identify pure glycerol. Glycerol is a trihydric alcoholic lipid. It occurs in a combined state of glycerol esters. Glycerol in lipid makes esters with fatty acids.

• Experiment: The reagents and glassware needed:
  • Solid potassium hydrogen sulphate or sulphuric acid
  • Pure glycerol/glycerol containing lipids.
  • Test tubes, test tube stand, test tube holders, distilled water, pipette with sucker, beakers.
• Procedure:
  • Take two clean test tubes and label them as T (Test control) and C (control).
  • Add 3 drops of distilled water in test tube C and 3 drops of glycerol in test tube T with the help of a pipette.
  • Add a pinch of solid potassium hydrogen sulfate in both the test tubes and mix well and heat strongly over a small flame.
• Result:
  • If a pungent smell is formed in the test tube that indicated the presence of glycerol.

Solubility test 

The Solubility test is used to identify if fat is present in a liquid or not with the help of chloroform, water, ester, etc.

• Experiment: The reagents and glassware needed:
  • Chloroform, water, ester, and mustard oil.Test tubes, test tube holder, beaker
• Procedure:
  • Take 2 ml of water in a test tube.
  • Add 1 drop of mustard oil to water, shake it and keep it aside.
  • Take another test tube and add 2 ml of ether
  • Add 2 ml of mustard oil in ether, shake it well, and keep it aside.
  • Take another test tube and add 2 ml of chloroform.
  • Add 2 ml of mustard oil in chloroform, shake it well, and keep it aside.
• Result:
  • Mustard oil is broken into small droplets in water which float at surface indicating fat is water and fat is present.
  • But no such drops are found in either chloroform or ether, this means fat is present in chloroform and ether.

Translucent spot test

A translucent spot test is identified with the help of filter paper.

• Experiment: The reagents and glassware needed:
  • Filter paper
  • Oil
• Procedure:
  • Take a filter paper, put a drop of oil in it and then fold the paper.
  • Now, rub the paper with your hand.

• Result:
  • If you see a translucent spot on the filter paper that means the fat is present.

Baudouin Test

Baudouin test is done to differentiate between desi ghee and vanaspati ghee. Vanaspati ghee contains 5% of sesame oil whereas desi ghee is pure.

• Experiment: The reagents and glassware needed:
  • Ghee, Hydrochloric acid and 2% furfural solution, alcohol
  • Test tube, beaker
• Procedure:
  • Take a beaker to pour 5 ml of ghee into it.
  • Now add 3 ml of hydrochloric acid and 2% of furfural solution in alcohol and mix well.
• Result:
  • After 15 minutes you will find a red-color appearance in the beaker, which means it contains sesame oil.

Huble’s test

As explained in the above example for olive oil and pancake mixture. Olive oil contained unsaturated fat and pancake mix contained mixed trans-fat. Huble’s test is used to identify unsaturated fat in a product.

• Experiment: The reagents and glassware needed:
  • Huble’s reagent,oil
  • Test tube, beaker
• Procedure:
  • Take a beaker and add two drops of oil and Huble’s reagent.
  • Shake it well and keep it for 5 minutes.

• Result:
  • If the Huble's reagent fades the violet colour of iodine after 5 minutes, the fat is unsaturated; if the colour remains the same, the oil is saturated.

Read More: Test for Protein

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Things to Remember

Following are some points which should be cleared by the readers:

• A fatty acid is made up of a string of carbon and hydrogen atom
• Unsaturated fats are beneficial to your health.
• The acrolein test is used to identify glycerol.
• A solubility test is used to identify fat with the help of liquid.
• A translucent spot test is used to identify oil.
• Baudoin test is used to identify the purity of desi ghee.
• Huble’s test is used to identify unsaturated fat.

Read Also: Cell Biology