Lipids are chemically diverse compounds which be extracted from animal, plant and microbial sources with a variety of methods.
Lipids are most clearly classified into simple, complex and derived lipids.
The derived lipids include compounds obtained by hydrolysis from simple and complex lipids.
The derived lipids include fatty acids and alcohols, which are the building blocks for the simple and complex lipids.
Simple lipids can be hydrolyzed to two different components, usually and alcohol and an acid. Complex lipids include glycerophospholipids, glyceroglycolipids and sphingolipids.
According to the chemical nature, derived lipids are divided into 5 subclasses:
*Fatty acids
*Alcohols
*Steroids
*Sterols
*Polyisoprenoids
Some forms of derived lipids have quite important structural roles. One of these is the family of phospholipids, essential for the formation of various cellular and subcellular membranes.
Classification of lipids: Derived lipid
