Wax ester
Encyclopedia
An ester
Ester
Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH group is replaced by an -O-alkyl group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and...

 of a fatty acid and a long-chain alcohol. These oils have similar properties as triglycerides, but are indigestible. They are found in some fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

 such as orange roughy
Orange roughy
The orange roughy, red roughy, or deep sea perch, Hoplostethus atlanticus, is a relatively large deep-sea fish belonging to the slimehead family . The Marine Conservation Society has categorized orange roughy as vulnerable to exploitation...

, oilfish
Oilfish
The oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus, is a species of snake mackerel in the family Gempylidae, and the only species in the genus Ruvettus. It is found in the Mediterranean, middle Atlantic and throughout the southern seas, at depths between 100 and 800 m...

, escolar
Escolar
The escolar, Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, a species of fish in the family Gempylidae, is found in deep tropical and temperate waters around the world...

, black oreo
Black oreo
The black oreo, Allocyttus niger, is an oreo of the family Oreosomatidae, found around Australia and New Zealand between latitudes of between 43°S and 55°S at depths of between 560 and 1,300 m. Its length is up to 47 cm....

, smooth oreo
Smooth oreo
The smooth oreo or smooth dory, Pseudocyttus maculatus, is an oreo, the only species in the genus Pseudocyttus. It is found in all southern oceans at depths of between 400 and 1,500 metres...

 and other deep water fish. They are also present in marine copepods. Wax esters are also found in some plants, notably jojoba
Jojoba
Jojoba, pronounced , is a shrub native to the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of Arizona, California, and Mexico. It is the sole species of the family Simmondsiaceae, placed in the order Caryophyllales. It is also known as goat nut, deer nut, pignut, wild hazel, quinine nut, coffeeberry, and gray box...

.
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