Researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have engineered marine microalgae to produce medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCT), which is a kind of plant oil conferring a variety of health benefits. Triacylglycerols are the primary form of energy storage in cells and are found in all vegetable oils and animal fats -but they're not the same. Each triacylglycerol molecule consists of three fatty acid units anchored to a glycerol backbone. Depending on the chain length of the fatty acids, each molecule can be classified as long-chain triacylglycerol or MCT, which differ in application scope, economic value, and market potential. "During digestion, MCTs are converted to medium-chain fatty acids, which bypass fat tissue, lowering the chance of it converting into fat tissue," said the lead researcher Professor XU Jian, QIBEBT. "It also increases energy expenditure, fat oxidation and satiety and lowers energy and food intake in both lean and obese individuals."
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