Branched chain fatty acids (BCFA) are usually saturated

fatty acids In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, f ...

with one or more

methyl In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemical formula . In formulas, the group is often abbreviated as Me. This hydrocarbon group occurs in many ...

branches on the

carbon chain In chemistry, catenation is the bonding of atoms of the same element into a series, called a ''chain''. A chain or a ring shape may be ''open'' if its ends are not bonded to each other (an open-chain compound), or ''closed'' if they are bonded ...

. BCFAs are most often found in bacteria, but can be found in

Nattō , spelled as natto in standard English language use, is a traditional Japanese food made from whole soybeans that have been fermented with ''Bacillus subtilis'' var. ''natto''. It is often served as a breakfast food with rice. It is served wi ...

, dairy,

vernix caseosa Vernix caseosa, also known as vernix or birthing custard, is the waxy white substance found coating the skin of newborn human babies. It is produced by dedicated cells and is thought to have some protective roles during fetal development and for ...

of human infants and California sea lionsWang DH, Ran-Ressler R, St Leger J, et al. Sea Lions Develop Human-like Vernix Caseosa Delivering Branched Fats and Squalene to the GI Tract. Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):7478. Published 2018 May 10. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-25871-1 where they may play a role in fostering the development of their intestinal

microbiota Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, symbiotic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found t ...

. Another waxy animal material containing BCFAs is

lanolin Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and 'oil'), also called wool yolk, wool wax, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specifically fo ...

. The content of branched chain fatty acids is considered to be responsible for the smell of mutton and higher content causes consumers to dislike the smell of lamb meat. Branched chain fatty acids are synthesized by the Branch-chain fatty acid synthesizing system.

References

Fatty acids {{Organic-compound-stub