Tag Archives: trans fats

Apr 3 2013

g v b

fatty_acids

Unsaturated Fats:

characteristics include:

  • at least one carbon-carbon double bond

  • liquid at room temperature

  • kinks created which prevents packing

  • contain cis double bonds

  • monounsturated chain contains only one double bond eg. oleic acid

  • polyunsaturated fats contain more than one double bond eg. linoleic acid

  • sources are plants and fish fats

ol

lin

Saturated Fats:

characteristics include:

  • no carbon-carbon double bond

  • solid at room temperature

  • no kinks created so there is tightly packing

  • long, straight chains

  • eg. stearic acid and palmitic acid

  • sources are from animal fats

 

satu

Trans Fats:

It seemed like such a good thing once since it enhances the flavor, texture and shelf life of many processed foods. However, it comes with a health risk. Trans fatty foods tantalize a persons taste buds then travel through your digestive system to your arteries where they turn to sludge.

Small amounts of trans fats occur naturally in beef, lamb and full-fat dairy products. Most come from processing liquid vegetable oil to become a solid fat through a process called hydrogenation. 

trans-fats-111111c-02

References:

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/1902-the-truth-about-trans-fats.html

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w98/primer.html

http://telstar.ote.cmu.edu/biology/MembranePage/index2.html

http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/fatty_acids_T3.html

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=866412&show=html