Eureka! Institutional Repository

All living organisms, should take nutrients to satisfy the biological needs which are related to the processes of development and reproduction. At the same time, the nutrients are necessary in animal nutrition in order to satisfy the various dietary requirements. If animals do not receive the necessary nutrients, their growth rate and their natural condition are affected. Furthermore, very important is to have the necessary energy so that they could have the correct weight, maintain the temperature of the body and not present deficiencies which may create severe problems for their health. Lipids, which are an important class of nutrients, are a group of compounds that can be found in both plant and animal tissues.In general, are divided into three basic categories, which are the simple lipids, the complex and derived Lipids. Fats are insoluble in water and must be properly maintained in order not to suffer various alterations which may be caused by various factors such as temperature, light, oxygen, etc. The fatty acids which are components of fat, are very important to humans and animals. Essential fatty acids , are a separate category of acids which play a very important role in the animal body and they are called essentials because they cannot synthesize from the animal body and should be given through food. An additional issue related to fats is digestion and metabolism, processes interdependent and very important. Digestion can help animals use the nutrients which enter through the food and after they broke down they can be used in various parts of the body. The process of digestion presents some differences between monogastric animals and ruminants, as the stomach of ruminants is divided into four compartments. Through the digestion, the process of metabolism is also achieved and breaks down into two categories which are anabolism and catabolism. Initially, catabolism is when some complex substances break down into smaller units and anabolism when smaller units construct a more complex one. Metabolism of fats is linked to some microbial metabolic processes such as hydrolysis and biohydrogeneration. Moreover, it is associated with the metabolism of fatty acids which are divided into: oxidation of fatty acids, biosynthesis of the saturated fatty acids, metabolism of unsaturated fatty acids and essential fatty acids. In addition, ketogenesis is an important process associated with the metabolism and lipogenesis, metabolism of cholesterol, etc. Generally, metabolism of fats is a wide subject which concerns scientists for several years and already many investigations have been carried out as it affects the health of animals and human beings.