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How do plant seeds use stored fat during germination?

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Synthesis of palmitate — Fat Palmitic acid is one of the most prevalent fatty acids occurring in the oils and fats of animals; it also occurs naturally in palm oil. It is generated through the addition of an acetyl group to multiple malonyl groups connected by single bonds between carbons. This structure forms a saturated acid—a major component of solid glycerides.

During germination, plant seeds mobilize stored energy reserves to support the growth of the embryo until it becomes a self-supporting, photosynthetic organism. While many seeds store energy as starch or protein, others store it as fat—often referred to as oil—within tissues such as the endosperm or the cotyledons.123

Because fats are a highly concentrated energy source, they provide significant fuel for the developing seedling. To utilize these reserves, plants employ a specific metabolic process called the glyoxylic acid cycle. This pathway allows the seedling to convert stored fats into [glucose].34

This conversion process begins in specialized organelles known as glyoxysomes and is completed through subsequent reactions in the mitochondria and the cytosol. Once converted into glucose, the energy is translocated to active areas of the seedling, such as the developing radicle and epicotyl, providing the necessary resources for the plant to establish itself.41