Butter is the best thing in the
whole world because I love to cook! You can use it in eggs, cakes, cookies,
bacon, fixing things, buttering toast and bread, greasing things likes pans and
door hinges and I’m sure there are many other creative uses…So naturally my
favorite organic molecule is oleic acid which is the main organic molecule in
butter, however there are several others. Oleic acid is used in other oil type
things like vegetable oil (also important for cooking), olive oil, pecan oil and
many other oils. Though I love cooking with butter, an odd use of the oleic
acid that I learned about in the process of writing this is that it is used as
a pheromone for insects when an insect dies it emits the oleic acid pheromone and
alerts fellow insects to remove the bodies and can also serve as a warning of
danger. Oleic acid is also used in aerosol products, and cosmetics. Oleic acid originally
was derived from olives and was important in many ancient remedies and now a
days it is a source of good cholesterol, can help prevent premature aging,
supports healthy and thick hair growth and has been shown to improve joint pain
and stiffness (butter up those joints!). Who knew there were so many uses for
butter?!?....also I enjoy that it looks like a caterpillar.
"Oleic
Acid." - Natural WellBeing. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2013
.
"What
Is the Chemical Structure of Butter?" General Chemistry Online: FAQ:
Chemistry of Everyday Life:. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2013 http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/consumer/faq/butter-composition.shtml.
Personally I do not like any type of cooking oil or butter since well, it is unhealthy and fatty if consumed in large portions. I am a health nut so I am not a fan of fatty unhealthy stuffs, but learning about it is pretty neat. The thing that I enjoy most of chemistry is that we learn that certain molecules may have multiple uses in areas that we may not expect. I am very surprised to learn that oleic acid is used in both butter and oil as well as aerosol products and by insects.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Whitney regarding butter being unhealthy,I am also a health nut; However, everything taken in moderation cannot be that bad. It is fascinating to learn that it promotes healthy hair!!! I love taking care of my hair, now I will look for products that contain your molecule!!!
ReplyDeleteNowadays, home remedies can be useful for skin care or treatments. It's true that butter really is not healthy but who says it has to be used for eating. For the ones who are wanting to eat healthy and stay healthy, these home remedies can be used to treat skin or homemade lotion. There just might be other organic molecules included in the unhealthy food that will help us on the outside of our bodies. :)
ReplyDeleteNowadays, home remedies can be useful for skin care or treatments. It's true that butter really is not healthy but who says it has to be used for eating. For the ones who are wanting to eat healthy and stay healthy, these home remedies can be used to treat skin or homemade lotion. There just might be other organic molecules included in the unhealthy food that will help us on the outside of our bodies. :)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love butter! I agree that it has to be one of the best ingredients. My friends always make fun of me because I acook with lots of butter but I just think it makes things taste so much better! I also found it really interesting that oleic acid is used by insects when they die. It just goes to show how many different ways one organic molecule can be used in all areas of life!
ReplyDeleteI will work out all the extra time I need to if it means I can continue to put butter in my food. That stuff just makes everything taste soooo much better. On the plus side, because this acid's primarily found in plants and used for olive oil, it's one of the "healthier" fats to consume. In fact, as much as I love butter, it's really interesting to see when I can substitute olive oil for it. My parents went to Israel not too long ago and their eggs were made with olive oil rather than butter (what my family uses). The taste is so different and so good! It's neat how oleic acid can be in so many different types of fats that have such different flavors and effects on food.
ReplyDelete