They found that cheap oils can be reacted with hydrogen gas to give saturated fatty acids, which researchers later discovered may be bad for your health. Credit: spoospa, Wikipedia. During the manufacturing of margarine, a chemical catalyst is used to make the reaction go faster. However, sometimes the fatty acid molecule rotates o about the bond, and it closes again without having reacted with a hydrogen atom.
This linear molecule looks a lot like a saturated fat, and shares the property of a high melting point, but has a big problem: Trans double bonds are very rare in nature and the human body has a hard time reacting with them.
Hence, trans fats build up in the body and can cause a lot of damage. Article translated from Hebrew by Aviv J. Sharon, M. Note for Surfers If you find the explanations unclear or have further questions, please drop us a line on the forum. We welcome your comments, suggestions and feedback. Ask the expert. Search Results. Berch, Wikipedia What causes this difference in melting temperature?
Credit: spoospa, Wikipedia During the manufacturing of margarine, a chemical catalyst is used to make the reaction go faster. 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.
Consequently, they have to be supplemented through ingestion via the diet and are nutritionally very important. Omega-3 fatty acid, or alpha-linoleic acid ALA , falls into this category and is one of only two fatty acids known to be essential for humans the other being omega-6 fatty acid, or linoleic acid. These polyunsaturated fatty acids are called omega-3 because the third carbon from the end of the hydrocarbon chain is connected to its neighboring carbon by a double bond.
Salmon, trout, and tuna are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Research indicates that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of sudden death from heart attacks, reduce triglycerides in the blood, lower blood pressure, and prevent thrombosis by inhibiting blood clotting.
They also reduce inflammation and may help reduce the risk of some cancers in animals. Learning Objectives Differentiate between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Key Points Fats provide energy, insulation, and storage of fatty acids for many organisms.
Fats may be saturated having single bonds or unsaturated having double bonds. Unsaturated fats may be cis hydrogens in same plane or trans hydrogens in two different planes. Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, has a single double bond whereas canola oil, a polyunsaturated fat, has more than one double bond. Omega-3 fatty acid and omega-6 fatty acid are essential for human biological processes, but they must be ingested in the diet because they cannot be synthesized.
Key Terms hydrogenation : The chemical reaction of hydrogen with another substance, especially with an unsaturated organic compound, and usually under the influence of temperature, pressure and catalysts. It contains the functional group carbon-oxygen double bond joined via carbon to another oxygen atom. OH ; characteristic of carboxylic acids. Omega-3 fatty acid, or alpha-linoleic acid ALA , falls into this category and is one of only two fatty acids known to be essential for humans the other being omega-6 fatty acid, or linoleic acid.
These polyunsaturated fatty acids are called omega-3 because the third carbon from the end of the hydrocarbon chain is connected to its neighboring carbon by a double bond. Salmon, trout, and tuna are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Research indicates that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of sudden death from heart attacks, reduce triglycerides in the blood, lower blood pressure, and prevent thrombosis by inhibiting blood clotting.
They also reduce inflammation and may help reduce the risk of some cancers in animals. Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet. This particular resource used the following sources:. Skip to main content. Search for:. Lipid Molecules. Learning Objective Differentiate between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.
Key Points Fats provide energy, insulation, and storage of fatty acids for many organisms. Fats may be saturated having single bonds or unsaturated having double bonds.
Unsaturated fats may be cis hydrogens in same plane or trans hydrogens in two different planes. Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, has a single double bond whereas canola oil, a polyunsaturated fat, has more than one double bond. Omega-3 fatty acid and omega-6 fatty acid are essential for human biological processes, but they must be ingested in the diet because they cannot be synthesized.
0コメント