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Glite Dictionary
tributyrin

tributyrin

9.9
A bitter oily fat in butter used in labs to test enzymes that break down fats
  • noun
  • /ˌtrɪbjuˈtɪrɪn/
  • Specialized
: tributirina
  • The laboratory used tributyrin agar to test for the bacterial production of lipase.

Examples

  • Researchers added tributyrin to the culture medium to observe enzymatic activity.

  • The researchers used tributyrin to study enzyme activity.

  • Tributyrin is often present in butter and is responsible for some of its properties.

  • Can you explain the role of tributyrin in microbiology?

  • Researchers added tributyrin to the culture medium to observe enzymatic activity.

  • The laboratory used tributyrin agar to test for the bacterial production of lipase.

  • Can you explain the role of tributyrin in microbiology?

Synonyms

butyrin
vstributyrin
  • Specialized
9.9

A fat in butter made from glycerol and butyric acid

is used mainly in labs as a substrate to test for lipase activity

Surface Forms

tributyrin singular
tributyrins plural

Morphology

tributyrin = butyrin (opaque) = tri + butyr + in

The prefix 'tri-' is a regular numeral prefix meaning 'three', but the base 'butyrin' is a technical chemical term unfamiliar to most learners.

Etymology

Tributyrin comes from tri- meaning 'three' and butyr- meaning 'butter'. So it is a fat made of three 'butter' parts, which is why it is found in butter and used in labs to test for enzymes that break down fat.