Free Fatty Acids

In animals, many of the dietary lipids are hydrolyzed to free fatty acids (FFAs) before being absorbed and utilized further for lipid synthesis. Lipids can be hydrolyzed to FFAs in tissues by lipolytic enzymes, such as hormonesensitive lipase, lipoprotein lipase, and phospholipases A and C, before they are metabolised in many different pathways, including oxidation, desaturation, elongation and re-esterification.