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Updated: Jul 18, 2025

Identification of Fatty Acids in Bacillus cereus
Published on: December 5, 2016
Dietary sources of branched-chain fatty acids and their biosynthesis, distribution, and nutritional properties
Huijia Lu1, Zhen Wang2, Bo Cao3
1State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Abstract:
Branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) consist of a wide variety of fatty acids with alkyl branching of methyl group. The most common BCFAs are the types with one methyl group (mmBCFA) on the penultimate carbon (iBCFA) or the antepenultimate carbon (aiBCFA). Long-chain mmBCFAs are widely existing in animal fats, milks and are mostly derived from bacteria in the diet or animal digestive system. Recent studies show that BCFAs benefit human intestinal health and immune homeostasis, but the connection between their content, distribution in the human and their nutritional functions are not well established. In this paper, we reviewed BCFAs from various dietary sources focused on their molecular species. The BCFAs biosynthesis in bacteria, Caenorhabditis elegans, mammals and their distribution in human tissues are summarized. This paper also discusses the nutritional properties of BCFAs including influences on intestinal health, immunoregulatory effects, anti-carcinoma, and anti-obesity activities, by highlighting the most recent research progress.
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