LITERATURE REVIEW ON STRUCTURED LIPIDS AS A HEALTHY ALTERNATE FOR THE CLASSICAL COOKING OILS.

Structured triacylglycerolsLipids differ from conventional triacylglycerols, becausethe medium-chain fatty acids ( MCT) esterified to the glycerol skeleton of Long chain triglycerides ( LCT ) to yield a new oil called medium ?long chain tri glycerides (MCLT). MLCT oils are absorbed inthe intestines via portal blood as free fatty acids; absorption pathways arealso conventional with long-chain triacylglycerols. Medium- and long-chain triacylglycerol (MLCT) is a modified lipid containing medium- chain (C6-C12) and long-chain fatty acids (C14-C24) in the same triacylglycerol (TAG) molecule. It can be produced either through enzymatic (with 1,3 specific or nonspecific enzyme) or chemical methods. The specialty of this structured lipid is that itis metabolized differently compared to conventional fats and oils, which can lead to a reduction of fat accumulation in the body. Therefore, it can be used for obesity management. It also contains nutritional properties that can be used to treat metabolic problems. (1)This review will discuss on the previous research and applied work done on the synthesis and application of MLCT, its production methods especially viaenzymatic inter-estrification processes and its applications in food industriesThe MLCT .oil which is addressed in this thesis is coming under the edible oils & fats categories called structured lipids .