Short-chain fatty acid
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), also referred to as volatile fatty acids (VFAs),[1] are fatty acids with an aliphatic tail of less than six carbon atoms.[2]
Contents
List of SCFAs
| Lipid number | Name | Salt/Ester Name | Formula | Mass (g/mol) |
Diagram | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Systematic | Common | Systematic | Molecular | Structural | |||
| Formic acid | Methanoic acid | Formate | Methanoate | CH2O2 | HCOOH | 46.03 | ||
| C2:0 | Acetic acid | Ethanoic acid | Acetate | Ethanoate | C2H4O2 | CH3COOH | 60.05 |
 |
| C3:0 | Propionic acid | Propanoic acid | Propionate | Propanoate | C3H6O2 | CH3CH2COOH | 74.08 |
 |
| C4:0 | Butyric acid | Butanoic acid | Butyrate | Butanoate | C4H8O2 | CH3(CH2)2COOH | 88.11 |
 |
| Isobutyric acid | 2-Methylpropanoic acid | Isobutyrate | 2-Methylpropanoate | C4H8O2 | (CH3)2CHCOOH | 88.11 | ||
| C5:0 | Valeric acid | Pentanoic acid | Valerate | Pentanoate | C5H10O2 | CH3(CH2)3COOH | 102.13 | |
| Isovaleric acid | 3-Methylbutanoic acid | Isovalerate | 3-Methylbutanoate | C5H10O2 | (CH3)2CHCH2COOH | 102.13 |
 |
|
Applications
Dietary relevance
Short-chain fatty acids are produced when dietary fiber is fermented in the colon.[3]
Short-chain fatty acids and medium-chain fatty acids are primarily absorbed through the portal vein during lipid digestion,[4] while long-chain fatty acids are packed into chylomicrons and enter lymphatic capillaries, and enter the blood first at the subclavian vein.
Medical relevance
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See also
References
- ↑ "Role of Volatile Fatty Acids in Development of the Cecal Microflora in Broiler Chickens during Growth" at asm.org
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Further reading
- A review of the biological properties of SCFA from the Danone Institute via archive.org
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