BIOL1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Thrombosis, Peanut Butter, Trans Fat
Document Summary
Saturated fatty acids have hydrocarbon chains connected by single bonds only. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds. Each double bond may be in a cis or trans configuration. In the cis configuration, both hydrogens are on the same side of the hydrocarbon chain. In the trans configuration, the hydrogens are on opposite sides. During this hydrogenation process, gas is bubbled through oils to solidify them, and the double bonds of the cis-conformation in the hydrocarbon chain may be converted to double bonds in the trans-conformation. Margarine, some types of peanut butter, and shortening are examples of artificially-hydrogenated trans fats. Many fast food restaurants have recently banned the use of trans fats, and food labels are required to display the trans fat content. Essential fatty acids are fatty acids required for biological processes, but not synthesized by the human body.
