Fig 1. Fatty acid synthesis is initiated by malonyl-CoA1,2.Fatty acids are organic molecules composed of a hydrocarbon chain and a carboxyl group. They occur widely in natural lipids and serve both structural and functional roles. Beyond their importance in energy storage, membrane architecture, and cell signaling, they are extensively exploited in drug discovery, nutritional supplementation, the food industry, and biotechnology.
BOC Sciences offers specialized fatty-acid synthesis services that integrate cutting-edge technologies with deep expertise to meet diverse research and industrial demands. We provide custom synthesis of short-, medium-, and long-chain variants with defined saturation levels and tailored functionalization, employing chemical, enzymatic, and microbial fermentation routes to ensure efficient, high-purity delivery. Our services are backed by robust quality-control and analytical capabilities, empowering clients to succeed in pharmaceutical development, nutritional science, and biotechnological innovation.
We synthesize fatty acids with precise carbon chain lengths, from short-chain (C2-C6) to very long-chain (>C20), allowing you to tailor physical properties such as melting point and solubility to match your specific formulation or experimental needs.
We provide control over the level and position of unsaturation in fatty acid structures. You can order saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fatty acids with defined cis or trans configurations—essential for research in lipid metabolism and membrane biophysics.
Our chemistry team introduces functional groups, including hydroxy, fluoro, methyl-branched, or epoxy moieties, onto fatty acid frameworks. These customized building blocks support drug discovery, specialty polymer development, and biochemical probe design.
We produce high-purity fatty acids labeled with stable isotopes such as Deuterium (2H), Carbon-13 (13C), or Nitrogen-15 (15N). These products serve as key tools for metabolic flux analysis, pharmacokinetic studies, and quantitative mass spectrometry.
Our team carries out targeted chemical modifications, including conjugation with peptides, PEG, fluorophores, or cyclization reactions. These capabilities help in developing prodrugs, diagnostic imaging agents, and novel lipid conjugates for advanced research.
We support projects from discovery to commercialization with scalable synthesis. Our process development team ensures a smooth transition from milligram-scale research to kilogram-scale production, maintaining consistent quality for preclinical and commercial applications.
Our expert team at BOC Sciences provides precise and reliable fatty acid synthesis services to meet your research and industrial goals, with a focus on scalability and efficiency.
This method builds target fatty acid molecules from simpler starting materials through multi-step organic reactions. It offers maximum flexibility for creating non-natural structures, such as fatty acids with specific chain lengths, uncommon double bond positions, or special functional groups (e.g., fluorine or branched chains).
This approach utilizes the high selectivity of enzymes (e.g., lipases, hydratases) under mild conditions to modify fatty acids. It excels in regioselective and stereoselective reactions that are challenging for traditional chemistry, such as the specific hydration of double bonds to produce hydroxy fatty acids, or the synthesis of estolides (oligomeric esters) in one-pot cascades.
This method employs engineered microorganisms (like E. coli or yeast) as cell factories to produce fatty acids. By reprogramming the host's metabolic pathways, such as the native fatty acid synthesis (FAS) or reversed β-oxidation cycle, this approach can efficiently convert sugars or waste biomass into target fatty acids, including medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs, C6-C10).
We collaborate with clients to understand their requirements, including fatty acid type, yield, and application.
Our team develops a tailored synthesis plan, selecting the optimal method (chemical, enzymatic, or microbial).
Synthesis is performed under controlled conditions, with ongoing monitoring and rigorous quality testing to meet specifications.
Final products are delivered with detailed reports, and we provide ongoing technical support for future needs.
Work with BOC Sciences to access cutting-edge fatty acid synthesis services. Our tailored approach ensures precise results and high efficiency, meeting your project's unique requirements.
Our fatty acid synthesis services follow strict quality control standards, ensuring that every step, from raw material sourcing to final product delivery, meets the highest quality requirements.
We offer comprehensive analytical and characterization services, including structural confirmation, purity analysis, and molecular property testing, ensuring the synthesized fatty acids meet client specifications.
Using advanced techniques, we detect and control impurities in the fatty acids, ensuring the final product's purity and stability, which is essential for high-standard applications.
Our team of experts provides comprehensive technical consultation and support, from selecting synthesis methods to optimization strategies, helping clients achieve the best results in their projects.
Client Needs: A research team required a library of chemically stable, multi-branched medium-chain fatty acids, functionalized with bio-orthogonal handles, to study their cellular uptake mechanisms and potential as prodrug components.
Challenges: The client struggled with the in-house synthesis due to difficulties in controlling the stereochemistry at multiple branching points and introducing the functional group without affecting the fatty acid's core structure or stability.
Solution: BOC Sciences employed a convergent synthetic strategy. We utilized stereoselective alkylation to construct the branched carbon skeleton with high purity, followed by a mild, late-stage functionalization to attach the bio-orthogonal tag, preserving the integrity of the target molecule.
Outcome: We delivered a series of well-defined, stereochemically pure branched fatty acid probes. These enabled the client to clearly map structure-activity relationships for cellular transport, directly informing the design of their next-generation prodrug candidates.
Client Needs: A metabolic disease research unit needed a substantial quantity (10+ grams) of a high-purity, odd-chain saturated fatty acid (C17:0) for use as both a metabolic tracer and a key building block in synthesizing novel lipid-based enzyme inhibitors.
Challenges: The client's existing route from commercial sources was prohibitively expensive for gram-scale work, and alternative synthetic methods yielded inseparable mixtures of even and odd-chain length byproducts.
Solution: BOC Sciences developed a cost-effective, scalable synthesis from a readily available olefin precursor. Key to our approach was a highly selective oxidative cleavage step followed by a tailored purification protocol, ensuring the exclusive production and isolation of the target C17:0 fatty acid.
Outcome: The client received the required gram-scale quantity of high-quality material. This reliable supply supported their extensive in vitro and in vivo screening studies, accelerating the evaluation of their inhibitor library without budget overruns.
Client Needs: A pharmacology group required access to a suite of deuterium-labeled polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolites (e.g., specific epoxy- and hydroxy-derivatives) as critical internal standards for quantitative LC-MS assay development.
Challenges: These complex metabolites are not commercially available. Their synthesis requires precise control over the position of both the oxygenated functional group and the deuterium label on the sensitive, multi-unsaturated carbon chain.
Solution: Our chemists designed a route starting from a protected PUFA precursor. We performed regio- and stereocontrolled enzymatic oxidation to install the functional group, followed by a chemoselective hydrogen-deuterium exchange step at the designated position to introduce the stable isotope label.
Outcome: BOC Sciences provided a custom set of authentic, labeled PUFA metabolite standards. This empowered the client to develop and validate a highly sensitive quantitative assay, crucial for their research into lipid-mediated signaling pathways in disease models.
The core advantages of fatty acid synthesis services lie in providing efficient and customized synthesis solutions that meet clients' needs in terms of production scale, synthesis routes, and purity requirements. Our advanced technological platforms ensure high yields and consistency throughout the synthesis process, which enhances production efficiency and product quality for our clients.
The fatty acid synthesis process involves several key steps. First, substrates such as acetyl-CoA are enzymatically converted into intermediates. Then, through multiple elongation reactions, the target fatty acid chain is formed. Throughout the process, precise control of reaction conditions (such as temperature, pH, and reaction time) is essential to ensure that the resulting fatty acids meet the desired structure and properties.
We optimize synthesis pathways and reaction conditions while rigorously controlling each stage of the process to ensure high purity and yield of the final product. In addition, we employ advanced analytical techniques, such as High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Gas Chromatography (GC), to perform quality control and ensure that each batch of fatty acids meets the required specifications.
Fatty acid synthesis is widely used across various industries, including but not limited to food additives, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural chemicals. In the pharmaceutical sector, fatty acid synthesis supports the production of key intermediates for drug development. In the food industry, it provides natural and healthy fatty acids to meet consumer demands for nutrition and health-conscious products.
Absolutely. Our fatty acid synthesis services are highly customizable. Clients can tailor the process based on specific application requirements, target product characteristics, and production scale. Our technical team will design the most suitable synthesis pathway to ensure optimal production efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Fatty acid synthesis occurs primarily in the cytoplasm of cells. This process occurs in specialized organelles of the cell called the cytoplasmic solution or cytoplasm. Fatty acid synthesis requires the synthesis of palmitoleic acid, which is then processed into other different fatty acids. In particular, acetyl coenzyme A, which is the raw material for the synthesis of soft stearic acid, is mainly supplied by glucose catabolism, is produced in the mitochondria, does not freely pass through the inner mitochondrial membrane, and needs to enter the cytoplasm through the citric acid-pyruvic acid cycle. In addition, some steps of fatty acid synthesis also occur in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), another organelle in the cytoplasm. The initial steps of fatty acid synthesis occur in the cytoplasm, while later steps and modifications may occur in the endoplasmic reticulum.
BOC Sciences expertly synthesized complex polyunsaturated fatty acid analogs with precise stereochemistry. Their work provided the critical, high-purity compounds needed for our definitive structure-activity relationship studies.
— Dr. Lee, Head of Medicinal Chemistry, Oncology Biotech
They efficiently scaled the synthesis of a key fluorinated fatty acid intermediate, solving our supply bottleneck. The reliable, gram-scale supply they provided accelerated our entire discovery pipeline.
— Dr. Chen, Senior Scientist, Metabolic Disease Therapeutics
The team delivered precisely labeled fatty acid substrates for our enzyme mechanism research. Their meticulous synthesis enabled our sensitive kinetic and metabolic flux analyses.
— Prof. Rossi, Principal Investigator, Institute of Chemical Biology
BOC Sciences delivered a bespoke library of over fifty modified fatty acids for target screening. Their ability to provide this diverse collection empowered a successful high-throughput campaign.
— Dr. Johnson, Director of Early Discovery, Immunology Pharma
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