M ost of the lipids found in the body fall into the categories of fatty acids and triacylglycerols; glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids; eicosanoids; cholesterol, bile salts, and steroid hormones; and fat-soluble vitamins. These lipids have very diverse chemical structures and functions. However, they are related by a common property: their relative insolublity in water. Fatty acids, which a...

Traditionally, the study of lipid absorption and metabolism in farm animals has centred on the role of dietary lipids in provision of dietary energy and in processes of fat deposition in meat, milk and eggs. Interest in these areas remains intense because of the importance of fat deposition in determining the efficiency and, hence, profitability, of meat and milk production. The content and com...