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Arachis hypogaea peanut oil pharmacognosy fixed oil composition official reference

The image explains lipid classification and then gives arachis oil (peanut oil) as an example of a fixed oil.

1. What are lipids?

Lipids are substances that are largely insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. They include fats, oils, phospholipids, waxes, steroids, and related compounds.

2. Classification shown in the diagram

A. Glycerol-based lipids

These have a glycerol backbone.

i. Simple lipids

They are esters of fatty acids with an alcohol.
  • Fats and oils: mainly triglycerides or triacylglycerols. They contain one glycerol molecule joined to three fatty acids.
    • Fats are generally solid at room temperature.
    • Oils are generally liquid at room temperature, often because they contain more unsaturated fatty acids.
  • Waxes: fatty acid esters with long-chain alcohols, not glycerol.

ii. Compound or complex lipids

Besides fatty acids and an alcohol, these contain an additional group such as phosphate or carbohydrate.
  • Phospholipids: contain phosphate. They are important components of cell membranes.
    • Lecithins = phosphatidylcholine
    • Cephalins = chiefly phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine
  • Glycolipids: contain a carbohydrate group.
    • In the image, glucolipids and galactolipids are placed here.
    • A useful correction: many important glycolipids in animal tissues are actually glycosphingolipids, built on a ceramide/sphingosine backbone rather than glycerol. Examples include cerebrosides and gangliosides. Harper describes glycosphingolipids as sugar-containing lipids built on ceramide. Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, 32nd ed.

B. Non-glycerol-based lipids

These do not use glycerol as their main structural backbone.
Examples shown:
  • Waxes
  • Cerebrosides
  • Steroids: cholesterol, steroid hormones, bile acids
  • Terpenes: compounds formed from isoprene units, such as carotenoids and some vitamins
  • Sphingomyelin: a phospholipid based on sphingosine/ceramide, abundant in nerve-cell membranes and myelin

Important note about the diagram

The chart is useful for introductory learning, but it mixes older and newer classification systems:
  • Waxes can be classified as simple lipids, but they are not glycerol-based.
  • Cerebrosides and sphingomyelin are sphingolipids, not glycerol-based lipids.
  • Modern biochemistry commonly groups lipids as fatty acyls, glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, sterols, prenols, and others.
A standard biochemical classification also includes derived lipids, formed on hydrolysis of simple or complex lipids: fatty acids, glycerol, sterols, steroid hormones, and fat-soluble vitamins. Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, 32nd ed.

3. Fixed oils

A fixed oil is a nonvolatile oil, usually made mainly of triglycerides.
“Fixed” means it does not evaporate on standing or heating, unlike volatile or essential oils such as peppermint oil or clove oil.
Typical properties:
  • Oily and greasy
  • Leave a permanent translucent stain on paper
  • Mainly consist of glycerides of fatty acids
  • Obtained from seeds, fruits, or animal tissues
  • Can become rancid on oxidation or hydrolysis
The food picture contains examples of sources rich in fixed oils: nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fish oils.

4. Arachis oil or peanut oil

  • Source: expressed from the seed kernels of Arachis hypogaea L., the peanut or groundnut plant.
  • Family: Leguminosae is the traditional name. Its accepted modern botanical family name is Fabaceae.
  • Type: a fixed oil.
  • Main chemical nature: triglycerides, meaning glycerol joined to fatty acids.

Main fatty acids in peanut oil

The slide lists:
  • Oleic acid: monounsaturated fatty acid
  • Linoleic acid: polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid
  • Palmitic acid: saturated fatty acid
  • Stearic acid: saturated fatty acid
  • Small amounts of lignoceric acid and other fatty acids
So, peanut oil is mainly an oleic-linoleic triglyceride oil.

Uses

  • Edible cooking oil
  • Pharmaceutical vehicle or oily base in some preparations
  • Emollient applications in selected formulations

Safety point

Peanut allergy is important clinically. Arachis oil can occur in some medicinal products, and labels should be checked by people with peanut allergy. Medical references specifically caution against arachis-oil-containing products in people with peanut allergy. Recent evidence on peanut allergy testing and treatment does not alter that basic precaution, but it has focused on allergy diagnosis and immunotherapy rather than proving general safety of medicinal peanut-oil products recent allergy review.
In one line: Peanut oil is a glycerol-based simple lipid because it is composed mainly of triglycerides, while phospholipids and glycolipids are complex membrane lipids.
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