The olive plant, Olea europaea, is grown in many parts of the world. The fruits of the plant (olives) and the oil that can be obtained from the fruits (olive oil), provide food for humans. Triglycerides are the main type of lipid in olive oil. They are synthesised in the olive plant from glycerol and fatty acids. Scientists can analyse samples of different olive oils to identify: • the fatty acids used to synthesise triglycerides • the composition of the different triglycerides present. (a) Table 1.1 shows some details of the five most common fatty acids found in samples of olive oil produced by olive plants grown in different regions in Portugal. Table 1.1 Key C:D = number of carbon atoms: number of double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain X = missing detail fatty acid | percentage of total fatty acid content | C:D | chemical structure ---|---|---|--- oleic acid | 55.0–83.0 | 18:1 | CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7X palmitic acid | 7.5–20.0 | 16: ..... | CH3(CH2)14X linoleic acid | 3.5–21.0 | 18: .... | CH3(CH2)4(CH=CH)CH2(CH=CH)(CH2)7X stearic acid | 0.5–5.0 | 18: .... | CH3(CH2)16X palmitoleic acid | 0.3–3.5 | 16: .... | CH3(CH2)5CH=CH(CH2)7X