Trans fats are unsaturated fats with trans double bonds instead of cis bonds. The type of bond affects the shape of the fatty acid chain. A trans bond creates a straight chain, whereas a cis bond results in a chain that is bent. Trans fats may be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.
Secondly, what are cis and trans fatty acids?
Cis fats are the typical form of unsaturated fat found in nature, while trans fats are made through hydrogenation. … Cis fats have a different shape, so the physical properties are different. Trans fats are even more unhealthy than saturated fats in that they raise your LDL levels and lower your HDL levels.
Moreover, what do trans-fatty acids do?
Trans fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol. They also lower your HDL (good) cholesterol. High LDL along with low HDL levels can cause cholesterol to build up in your arteries (blood vessels). This increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.
What does trans in trans fat mean?
Trans fat: An unhealthy substance that is made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods that contain them. … Also known as trans fat.
What is a trans unsaturated fatty acid?
Abstract. Trans fatty acids (TFAs) are unsaturated fatty acids that contain at least one nonconjugated double bond in the trans configuration, resulting in a straighter shape. Most commercially prepared foods contain TFAs.
What is the chemical structure of fat?
Fats and oils
A fat molecule consists of two kinds of parts: a glycerol backbone and three fatty acid tails. Glycerol is a small organic molecule with three hydroxyl (OH) groups, while a fatty acid consists of a long hydrocarbon chain attached to a carboxyl group.
What is the difference between cis unsaturated fats and trans unsaturated fats?
The difference between Cis and Trans Fatty Acids is that in the cis fatty acid, the acid will contain double bonds that are formed by hydrogen atoms. The trans-fatty acids will contain double bonds that are formed by carbon atoms.
What is the structural difference between cis and trans fatty acids?
The difference between cis and trans fatty acids is that the cis fatty acids have two hydrogen atoms attached to the double bond in the same side of the carbon chain whereas the trans fatty acids have the two hydrogen atoms bonded to the double bond in the opposite sides of the carbon chain.
What is the structure of unsaturated fatty acids?
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Unsaturated fatty acid carbon chains contain one or more double bonds with a terminal carboxylic group (–COOH), unlike saturated fatty acids, which contain no double bonds. These fatty acids are subdivided into two groups depending on the number of double bonds.
Which is an unsaturated fatty acid?
Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more carbon-carbon double bonds. The term unsaturated indicates that fewer than the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms are bonded to each carbon in the molecule. … The oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids is autocatalytic; that is, it proceeds by a free-radical chain reaction.
Why are cis and trans fatty acids unsaturated?
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.
Why do saturated fatty acids have straight structures while unsaturated acids have bent structures?
These molecules differ in structure and food sources. Saturated fatty acids exhibit a linear structure while unsaturated fatty acids bend, or kink, due to double bonds within the chemical foundation.
Why is cis and trans important?
Cis-trans isomerism is of practical importance through its influence on the properties of industrially important materials. Controlled isomerization is thus a means of obtaining materials having desirable characteristics.
Why is trans fat worse than cis?
The structure of the atoms and molecules can vary slightly, which changes how the fats affect your body. … This change may seem small, but it totally changes the fat’s physical properties–trans fats have a higher melting point than cis fats and can stack on top of each other, which makes them solid at room temperature.