Which feature is true about wax esters?

Which feature is true about wax esters?

• A. Presence of ester linkages between acid and alcohol
• B. Contain glycerol backbone with three fatty acids
• C. Contain phosphate groups
• D. Are branched chain amino acids

Answer: (A)

Wax esters are esters formed by linking a fatty acid to a long-chain alcohol through an ester bond. That single ester linkage between the acid and the alcohol is the defining feature. Because of this structure, waxes lack the glycerol backbone with three fatty acids found in triglycerides, and they also do not contain phosphate groups as phospholipids do. They aren’t built from amino acids either. In short, the key characteristic of wax esters is the ester bond between a fatty acid and a long-chain alcohol.

Wax esters are esters formed by linking a fatty acid to a long-chain alcohol through an ester bond. That single ester linkage between the acid and the alcohol is the defining feature. Because of this structure, waxes lack the glycerol backbone with three fatty acids found in triglycerides, and they also do not contain phosphate groups as phospholipids do. They aren’t built from amino acids either. In short, the key characteristic of wax esters is the ester bond between a fatty acid and a long-chain alcohol.