Question

The triglycerides in animals tend to be solids (i.e., fats) at room temperature whereas the triglycerides in plants tend to be liquids (i.e., oils) at room temperature. Based on this fact, what can you conclude about the characteristics of the fatty acids in animal triglycerides compared to the fatty acids in plant triglycerides

Answer 1

Answer:

The animal triglycerides have a higher proportion of saturated fatty acids than the plant triglycerides.

Explanation:

The triglycerides have three fatty acids attached to the single glycerol molecule by ester linkage. The fatty acids may be saturated or unsaturated. The triglycerides with saturated fatty acids such as the animal triglycerides exhibit a relatively tight packing of these fatty acids and make them solid at room temperature.

On the other hand, the triglycerides with unsaturated fatty acids such as the plant triglycerides are liquid at room temperature since the presence of double bonds in the hydrocarbon chains leads to weaker interactions and does not allow the tight packing of the fatty acids.