Fruit-based Terms

Triglyceride, also known as triacylglycerol, is the primary form of fat found in food and stored in the human body. A triglyceride consists of one glycerol molecule chemically bonded to three fatty acids through ester bonds. The types of fatty acids attached determine many of the fat's physical and nutritional properties, and can differ in both saturation:

• saturated fatty acids
• monounsaturated fatty acids, or
• polyunsaturated fatty acids

and chain length:

• short-chain fatty acid
• medium-chain fatty acid, or
• long-chain fatty acid

During digestion, triglycerides are broken down primarily into:

• free fatty acids, and
• monoglycerides

which can be absorbed by the intestine and later reassembled into triglycerides for transport and storage.