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phospholipid
phospholipids
A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition
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2005
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© A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information)
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phospholipids (Also known as phosphatides and phospholipins). >Glycerol esterified to two molecules of
fatty acid, one of which is commonly polyunsaturated. The third hydroxyl group is esterified to phosphate and one of a number of water‐soluble compounds, including
serine (phosphatidylserine), ethanolamine (phosphatidylethanolamine),
choline (phosphatidylcholine, also known as
lecithin), and
inositol (phosphatidylinositol).
Cell membranes are a double layer of phospholipids with the fatty acid side‐chains on the inside and the water‐soluble compound esterified to the phosphate interacts with water. This is why phospholipids can be used to emulsify oils and fats in water and are commonly used in food manufacture as
emulsifiers.
From the energy point of view they can be regarded as being equivalent to simple fats (
triacylglycerols); they also provide a dietary source of choline and inositol, neither of which is a dietary essential.
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phospholipid
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
phospholipid , lipid that in its simplest form is composed of glycerol bonded to...phosphate. For example, it may be connected with choline; the resulting phospholipid is called phosphatidylcholine, or lecithin. Other phospholipids include...
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Membrane
Encyclopedia entry from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
...is composed of two layers of phospholipid molecules lined up side by side...The hydrophilic portion of a phospholipid is the phosphate group; these...The more lipidlike tail of a phospholipid is the hydrophobic region...
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Membrane Structure
Book article from: Biology
...Cellular membranes consist mainly of phospholipid assembled into a stable, sheetlike...under normal cellular conditions once phospholipid has been synthesized. To understand...appreciate the amphipathic nature of phospholipid structure. An amphipathic lipid is...
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Membrane Fluidity
Book article from: World of Microbiology and Immunology
...microorganisms tend to be a type of lipid termed phospholipid. A phospholipid consists of fatty acid chains that terminate...two so-called leaflets, or a bilayer, of phospholipid. Essentially the membrane is a two dimensional...
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Cell, Eukaryotic
Book article from: Genetics
...structures, made of two layers of phospholipid molecules, built from phosphoric...fatty acids. One end of the phospholipid molecules (the exterior head...freely through the cell's phospholipid membrane. Instead, most ions...
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