Mai

A cikin abinci **mai ƙiba** jiki, ilmin halitta, da ilmin sunadarai, kitse yawanci yana nufin kowane Ester na fatty acids, ko cakuda irin waɗannan mahaɗin, galibi waɗanda ke faruwa a cikin rayayyun halittu ko a cikin abinci.

Kalmar sau da yawa tana nufin musamman ga triglycerides (triple esters na glycerol), waɗanda sune manyan abubuwan da ke cikin man kayan lambu da na kitse a cikin dabbobi;  ko, har ma da ƙanƙanta, ga trigly cerides waɗanda suke da ƙarfi ko semisolid a zafin jiki na ɗaki, don haka cire mai. Hakanan ana iya amfani da kalmar a ko'ina a matsayin ma'anar lipid - duk wani abu mai dacewa da kwayoyin halitta, wanda ya ƙunshi carbon, Hydrogen, ko oxygen, wanda ba zai iya narkewa a cikin ruwa ba amma yana narkewa cikin abubuwan da ba na polar ba. A wannan ma'anar, ban da triglycerides, kalmar za ta haɗa da wasu nau'ikan mahadi kamar mono- da diglycerides (kamar lecithin), sterols (kamar cholesterol), waxes (kamar ƙudan zuma),  da free fatty acids, waɗanda yawanci suna cikin abincin ɗan adam a ƙananan adadi.

Fats suna daya daga cikin manyan kungiyoyi uku na macronutrient a cikin abinci ɗan adam, tare da carbohydrates da sunadarai,   da kuma manyan abubuwan da ke cikin kayan abinci na yau da kullun kamar madara, man shanu, man shanu. Su ne babban kuma tushen tushen Makamashi na abinci ga dabbobi da yawa kuma suna taka muhimmiyar ayyuka na tsayi da metabolism a cikin mafi yawan rayayyun halittu, gami da ajiyar makamashi, rigakafin ruwa, da kuma Ruwan zafi. Jikin mutum na iya samar da kitsen da yake buƙata daga wasu sinadaran abinci, ban da wasu sinadarai masu mahimmanci waɗanda dole ne a haɗa su cikin abincin. Fats na abinci kuma suna dauke da wasu kayan dandano da ƙanshi da bitamin da ba su narke da ruwa ba.

## Muhimmancin halittu
A cikin mutane da dabbobi da yawa, kitse suna aiki a matsayin tushen makamashi da kuma ajiyar makamashi fiye da abin da jiki ke bukata nan da nan. Kowane gram na kitse lokacin da aka ƙone ko kuma ya saki game da adadin abinci tara . 

FA kuma sune tushen mahimman fatty acids, muhimmiyar buƙatun abinci. Vitamins A, D, E, da K suna narkewa da kitse, ma'ana ana iya narke su ne kawai, sha su, kuma a kai su tare da kitse.

Fats suna taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen kula da fata da gashi masu lafiya, keɓe gabobin jiki daga girgizar ƙasa, kiyaye zafin jiki, da inganta aikin tantanin halitta mai lafiya. Fat kuma yana aiki a matsayin mai amfani da shi don magance cututtuka da yawa. Lokacin da wani abu, ko sinadarai ko biotic, ya kai matakan da ba su da tabbas a cikin jini, jiki na iya narkewa - ko aƙalla kiyaye daidaito na - abubuwan da ke laifi ta hanyar adana shi a cikin sabon kitse. Wannan yana taimakawa wajen kare muhimman gabobin, har sai lokacin da za'a iya sarrafa abubuwa masu laifi ko cire su daga jiki ta hanyar irin su fitarwa, fitsari, zubar da jini ta hanyar haɗari ko da gangan, fitar da sebum, da kuma girma gashi.

A cikin dabbobi, ƙwayoyin ƙwayoyin cuta (mai ƙwayoyin) shine hanyar jiki na adana makamashi na metabolism na tsawon lokaci. Adipocytes (ƙwayoyin mai) suna adana kitse da aka samo daga abincin da kuma metabolism na hanta. A karkashin damuwa na makamashi waɗannan ƙwayoyin na iya lalata kitsen da aka adana don samar da ƙwayoyin ƙwayoyin cuta da kuma glycerol ga zagayawa. Wadannan ayyukan metabolism ana sarrafa su ta hanyar hormones da yawa (misali, insulin, glucagon da epinephrine). Kwayar Adipose kuma tana fitar da hormone leptin.

## Manazarta